James Potter: The Hogwarts Years
by klixxx
Summary: James Potter has finally begun his journey at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Together with the Marauders and of course one Lily Evans, he will experience the highs and lows of living in the shadow of Voldemort. (I really don't care about the summary...)
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note**

**Hey people! For those who have read my other fanfic, this is a different story from that one. It will be 100% from James's view. I hope to improve in several areas compared to my last fanfic, which I do plan on continuing as well. Hopefully you give it a chance after reading the first chapter! **


	2. Beginnings and Friendships

**Beginnings and Friendships**

**Hey guys! For those of you who have read "Magical Times," I promise you this one will be better! (I will improve that one as well of course, but in due time…)**

**This story will cover all of James' years at Hogwarts. **

The sun was just beginning to rise over the quiet village of Godric's Hollow. The birds chirped cheerfully, as they always did in the mornings, and the neighborhood responded slowly but surely.

A woman could be seen bustling about in the garden of a rather large cottage where she and her family lived. After completing her morning routine of clearing gnomes and removing weeds, Mrs. Olivia Potter hurried inside to prepare breakfast for the two soon to be hungry people sleeping upstairs.

Her husband, Mr. Charlus Potter, was a well-known and respected Auror for the Ministry of Magic. However, he was not what one would call a "morning person", and required a healthy serving of Mrs. Potter's cooking to get ready for the day.

Her son, James, was very much like his father, she thought with a smile.

They had the same poor eyesight, messy hair and lanky frame. However, the similarities did not stop there. James had also inherited his father's talent for magic, having picked up certain things his parents had shown him earlier than most other children his age had.

Humming excitedly, Mrs. Potter began to prepare a large breakfast for it was also a very special day today…

The serenity of the early morning was suddenly broken by a loud thudding sound in the living room. Mrs. Potter turned and was met with quite a scene.

"Morning Olivia," Groaned Charlus Potter from where he had fallen down the last few steps of the stairs. "Morning mum," came a muffled voice from somewhere underneath him.

Mrs. Potter gasped. "Charlus get up quickly, you'll squash James!" Mr. Potter flipped over and got to his feet dexterously, revealing his messy-haired son lying spread-eagled at the foot of the stairs.

"Merlin Charlus, be more careful would you…"Mrs. Potter sighed. "James dear, are you alright?"

James leapt to his feet with a grin. "Never better," He said cheerfully. He ran into the kitchen and grabbed a plate for himself and another for his father.

"You're finally going to Hogwarts today," Mrs. Potter said dreamily as she wiped her hands on a towel. "Time really does fly by…" Mr. Potter grinned much like his son and pecked his wife on the cheek.

"This is only the beginning," He said as he accepted his plate from James. "Hogwarts will be the best time of your life James."

James smiled through a mouthful of eggs. "I can't wait," he said happily.

"Swallow before you speak," Mrs. Potter reprimanded him. "And hurry up now, or you're going to be late for the train." James and Mr. Potter wolfed down their breakfast and got dressed.

Half an hour later, they had arrived at King's Cross Station. There were hundreds of wizards and muggles bustling in every direction, trying to catch their trains.

"I can never get used to how hectic it is at this time every year," Mrs. Potter said with a smile. "It reminds me of my first time boarding the Hogwarts Express." Mr. Potter laughed as they made their way to platform 9 ¾. "Always the reminiscent one," he said while James looked around him in awe.

It was finally here, the day he had waited for the past eleven years. He could barely contain his excitement.

Mr. Potter patted him on the shoulder. "Good luck James," He said with his trademark grin, which James returned. "Remember to keep the Potter tradition alive-" Mrs. Potter cleared her throat loudly.

"By that, you don't mean engaging in tomfoolery do you?" She said with an edge to her voice. Mr. Potter laughed nervously. "Off you go son," He said quickly.

James smiled mischievously. "I'm going to outdo you dad," He said, sticking out his chest. "If anybody can surpass the stunts you pulled at Hogwarts, it would be yours truly."

Mrs. Potter grimaced. What James had just displayed was the only difference she knew of between her husband and her son.

James was as cocky as a hippogriff.

She sighed as Mr. Potter glanced at the clock. "You'd best hurry up James," He said. "Don't forget to write when you get there,"

Mrs. Potter hugged him. "Have fun and stay out of trouble James," She said tearfully.

After what seemed like ten minutes, James bid his parents farewell and boarded the Hogwarts Express. He glanced around, taking everything in. He seemed to have been one of the first students to board the train. He made his way down the compartments until he arrived at an empty one near the center of the train. He made his way inside.

After about five minutes, he began to feel bored. Wasn't anyone going to show up? He had just begun daydreaming about playing Quidditch next year when the door flew open and James jumped out of his reverie.

A dark haired boy was standing there. He looked to be about James' age, although there were several noticeable differences. The boy had silky, wavy hair that hung regally around his face, and he stood at least an inch taller than James would have had he been standing.

"Hullo," James greeted the boy. "And who might you be?" The dark-haired boy seemed to be sizing him up but answered. "I'm Sirius," He said. "Mind if I sit down?"

James gestured to the seat across from him. Once Sirius had sat down, James leaned forward, eager to get to know him. "Say, Sirius was it? Tell me about yourself," He said eagerly.

Sirius eyed him strangely but responded right away. "My name is Sirius and I like Quidditch and girls." He said easily.

James' eyes had lighted up upon hearing about Quidditch. For the next ten minutes or so, the two boys struck up a conversation that covered all sorts of topics from broomsticks to Hogwarts.

Sirius was laughing at something James had said when the door to the compartment opened once again, revealing three boys. From the way they held themselves, James guessed that they were Slytherins. One of them, a tall, blonde haired boy, stepped forward and smirked at Sirius.

"Well what a surprise," He said in a silky but cold voice. "I thought this compartment was empty." James decided he didn't like this boy. The way he spoke condescendingly made him want to try out a few of the hexes his father had shown him.

"Malfoy," Sirius responded through pursed lips, and James noticed that the cheerfulness he had before was gone, replaced by an icy coldness that startled James.

The boy named Malfoy turned to James, and James realized his look was not one of a friend. "And who are you?" He sneered.

James stared him down arrogantly. "James Potter he said, extending a hand. Malfoy didn't take it and James smirked.

"Bit rude, aren't you? Didn't you ever learn that it's good manners to return someone's greeting?" Sirius snickered beside him.

Malfoy narrowed his eyes at them before turning. "I expect to see you at _our_ table later tonight, Sirius." And with that, he was gone.

James turned to Sirius, whose face had darkened at Malfoy's last words. James frowned.

"Hey mate, don't worry about those guys, they're probably all Slytherins anyway." He said bracingly. He noticed that this only made Sirius angrier. 

"What's wrong?" James asked, puzzled. Sirius eyed him wearily for a moment before sighing. "You're probably going to hate me for this," He said heavily. James' frown deepened. "No I'm not," He said simply. "What's bothering you?"

Sirius leaned against the window and looked outside. "My full name is Sirius Orion _Black_," He said after a moments pause, his eyes not meeting James'. "And I know you're a Potter, so that means our families don't exactly see eye to eye." He muttered.

James was taken aback. He had heard about the Black family from his father. They were notorious for being advocates of pureblood supremacy who supported the movement against muggle-born witches and wizards, and had even openly announced support for Voldemort, a dark wizard who recently had been making the newspapers quite often. He appraised Sirius for a few moments. He did not seem to be anything like what his father had warned him to expect from a Black.

"We can still be friends," James said cheerfully. Sirius finally broke his gaze off from the window and stared at James in surprise.

"It doesn't bother you?" He asked incredulously. "I mean, I'm _going_ to end up in Slytherin like all the other Blacks." He added with a dark look. "I wish I wouldn't though, you don't know how sick I am of all their blood supremacy… it's all just a load of dung," He said rather viciously.

"You don't know that you'll end up in Slytherin," James said encouragingly. He was starting to like Sirius more and more.

Sirius snorted. "You can't be serious," He muttered. "No, you're Sirius." James quipped and Sirius broke into laughter.

James grinned, "Seriously, you don't know that you'll be in Slytherin. You seem like a cool bloke to me." He said bracingly.

Sirius brightened up, "You think so?" He said with a hopeful expression. James nodded encouragingly. "My dad always said the sorting hat takes your own choice into account, so why not just ask to be in Gryffindor!"

Sirius broke into a grin, "Wicked!" He exclaimed. James laughed and leaned forward with a glint in his eye.

"Now onto more important matters." He said solemnly. "Sirius Black, what do you think about turning this school upside down while we're here?"

Sirius' gray eyes matched James'. "You're a bad man Potter," he said with a smirk. "What are you thinking?"

James' hazel eyes gleamed mischievously, "I'm thinking that the Slytherins are going to wish they had never heard the name, James Potter."


	3. Redheads and Squids

**Redheads and Squids**

**The train scene here is slightly different from JK Rowling's scene. I changed it because I didn't want to copy any of Rowling's work.**

James and Sirius were alone in the compartment for a good twenty minutes before any one else joined them. They had bought a whole row of candy from the snack cart and were comparing their chocolate frog cards when the door opened.

A red-haired girl was standing there and her expression suggested that she had clearly not been expecting the two of them to be in there.

She flushed, "I-I'm sorry, I'll go look for another compartment." She said quietly.

James motioned to the seat across from them, "No it's fine, we don't mind you sitting here," He said casually. He noticed that the girl's eyes were slightly pink.

She slinked down across from them and proceeded to ignore the pair, choosing to stare out of the window glumly. James glanced at Sirius and the latter shrugged. "Anyways like I was saying, Dumbledore's card is supposed to be really rare," James continued where he left off.

A while later, the door to the compartment opened once more, and a pale-faced boy with a rather greasy mane of black hair strode in. Without acknowledging the two boys, he placed himself next to the red-haired girl and began speaking to her quietly. She seemed to cheer up slightly. James and Sirius chose to ignore the two but eventually something they said caught James' ear.

"Lily I'm telling you, you'll love being a Slytherin," the pale boy said encouragingly. The girl smiled and wiped her eyes, "I hope we both end up there!" She said, sounding rather cheerful all of a sudden.

"My ears might be deceiving me but did you just say you want to be in Slytherin?" James said coolly, raising an eyebrow. The pale boy spun around in his seat and glared at him with dislike. "Got a problem with that?" He sneered.

"Sev don't," said the girl while placing a hand on his shoulder. "You don't want to get in trouble-" "Ooh how cute, your girlfriend's defending you!" Sirius mocked, a smile playing on his lips.

The girl glared at him with dislike and stood up suddenly, "Let's find another compartment Sev…" She muttered.

The boy stood up slowly but didn't leave. "And who are you?" He asked coldly. James twirled his wand in his fingers and leaned casually against the window, "Sirius Black," he said and gestured to Sirius who was snickering "That's James Potter." The pale boy narrowed his eyes, "I am Severus Snape." He said. "I didn't ask for his name," said James. "What about you James?" Sirius smirked arrogantly, "I don't recall it either Sirius."

The girl, Lily, dragged Severus Snape to his feet, "C'mon let's get out of here, maybe in the next compartment we'll actually find some nice company," She said and with a last glare at the two of them, they were gone and the door banged shut.

James and Sirius laughed loudly and bumped fists, "Wonder how long Snivellus will believe that you're Sirius and I'm James?" James said through his laughter. Sirius sniggered at his nickname.

"_Snivellus?_ Oh that name is going to stick," He said with glee.

Their remaining time on the Hogwart's Express passed by rather quickly and soon a prefect came in and instructed them to get dressed. James tucked his shirt into his robes, glancing outside as he did so. "Sirius, come over here!" He said excitedly pointing. Sirius stumbled over while pulling up his pants and looked out the window and gasped. "Awesome," he breathed.

There, standing alone on the top of a hill and lit up with thousands of flickering candles in the dark silhouette of the sky stood Hogwarts. James stared with awe at the castle that would be his home for the next seven years.

Soon after, the train pulled into Hogsmeade Station and the hoard of students piled off in waves.

James and Sirius hopped off last and James immediately spotted a towering figure up ahead, "That must be Hagrid, the gamekeeper," He said to Sirius. "My dad told me about him."

"Firs' years this way!" The huge man shouted while waving his arms. He reached James and Sirius. "C'mon now you two, don't get left behind," He said with a hairy smile. 

The two of them got in a boat towards the back when Severus snape and his redheaded friend Lily joined them, unfortunately. They sat as far away as they could from the two and kept shooting them cold glares.

James ran a hand through his messy hair, "Hey I don't think I caught your name," he said to the girl, who looked up in surprise. She looked at him coolly, "My name's Lily Evans," She said after a moment, "And you are?" James reached out his hand, "James Potter, nice to meet you." He said politely and the surprised look crossed her face once more.

Snape looked rather put off by the exchange and tried to regain Lily's attention. James turned to Sirius who was still staring, slack-jawed at the magnificent castle looming up ahead. "Bloody hell mate," he breathed. "Just imagine, we get to spend seven years here!" James laughed and reached his hand into the water. "You think the giant squid is close by?" Someone snickered at his comment and it wasn't Sirius.

He turned and saw Snape smirking haughtily at him. "What?" said James.

"The squid lives on the other side of the pond Potter, or didn't your father tell you that?" sneered Snape. Sirius opened his mouth to retort but Lily had already smacked her friend on the head, causing James to double over at the astonished expression on Snape's face.

"Oi what's going on over there?" Sirius said tapping James' back. James turned and saw-two boats ahead of them- the tall figure of Lucius Malfoy. He seemed to be speaking to a boy in his boat and the conversation didn't seem too friendly to James.

"Tell me, where did you get those robes from boy, the gutter?" Malfoy drawled while his friends guffawed. The boy who was being insulted, James noticed, was wearing rather oversized robes with a patch here and there that partially covered up several holes.

He felt Sirius move beside him but held up a hand, "Let me try something." He whispered and felt all three of the others looking at him, Sirius with excitement and Snape and Lily with apprehension.

James grinned; it was finally time to test out his magic. 'Have a taste of your own medicine Malfoy,' he thought gleefully and raised his wand.

Lily opened her mouth to say something but it was cut off by a loud _bang, _as James' hex had caught Malfoy and his friends completely off guard and sent them flying off the boat and into the water. James turned and puffed out his chest triumphantly and saw Sirius guffawing while pointing ahead. "James I think you caught some innocent bystanders in the mix," He gasped with mirth.

James turned and saw that the boy with the shabby robes had been caught as well and was currently paddling desperately to get back onto the boat.

Lily gasped, "He can't swim, someone help him!" She said shrilly.

"Grab on to my leg Sirius," said James while acting quickly. He quickly took off his school robes and ignored several shouts at him to wait for a teacher. Sirius held on to his feet tightly as James let himself fall into the river and reached out towards the sinking boy.

"OI! Reach out your hand!" James called out to him. The boy spotted James and tried to reach out. "Just a little more, c'mon you can reach me," James yelled but suddenly the boy's head disappeared under the water.

"Oh no!" someone cried out from behind them. James wondered if he had drowned when suddenly a huge tentacle popped out of the water right in front of James, sending him-and Sirius- flying backwards and into the water on the other side of their boat.

When they had finally managed to climb back aboard their boat, they saw that the boy and Malfoy's gang were sitting back in their boat, soaked but safe. "Merlin, it's the giant squid!" Gasped a first year. James laughed and squeezed his robes, "I knew it existed around here!" He said, throwing a wink at Snape who looked away angrily.

Not long after the incident, they arrived at the foot of the moat surrounding the castle. The first years got out of the boats and began the short trot up the hill.

"Professor McGonagall's waitin' up ahead!" Hagrid boomed from somewhere up front. "Keep up the pace you lot!"

James walked over to the boy the squid had saved and extended his hand, "I'm James Potter, what's your name?" He introduced himself.

The boy gave a tentative smile and took James' outstretched hand, "Remus," he said quietly, "Remus Lupin." "OIII! James, hurry up! And Remus Lupy was it? You need to get a move on too!"

Remus frowned, "_Lupy?_" He muttered in a scandalized tone. James laughed and clapped him on the back, causing Remus to jump slightly, "That's Sirius," he said brightly, "Let's all get along this year eh?"

A look of surprise crossed Remus' tired features but slowly a smile broke out and he chuckled softly as they made their way up to the front doors.


	4. Hats and Dormitories

**Hats and Dormitories**

The front doors opened in front of the nervous and excited first years and their first view of the interior of Hogwarts left them awestruck.

They were standing at the entrance to a great hall, where hundreds of glowing candles lit the sides of the large room. Inside the hall, there were four long tables, each filled with older students who were surveying the group with interest.

As they filed in in an orderly line, James nudged Sirius and pointed at Lucius Malfoy, who was the only one of the group who took a seat at the table in the far left corner. "He's not even a first year, looks like someone got left behind on the train and had to ride in the boats with us," He snorted. Sirius grinned as McGonagall turned to face them once more.

"When I call each student's name, please come have a seat on this stool and place the sorting hat on your head," She said crisply. She unrolled an extremely long piece of parchment and cleared her throat.

"Abbot, Daniel."

A nervous looking boy walked up to the school and tentatively placed the hat on his head. It drooped so low that his mouth was the highest part of his face that could be seen. After a few tense moments, the hat shouted, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

The crowd cheered loudly as the boy, looking immensely relieved, handed the hat back to McGonagall and ran to the Hufflepuff table. McGonagall cleared her throat again.

"Black, Sirius."

James clapped Sirius on the back and whispered in his ear, "Remember, the sorting hat takes your wish into account." Sirius nodded rather grimly and made his way slowly to the stool with his fists clenched at his sides. He sat there with the hat on far longer than Abbot had, but after many tense minutes had passed, the hat seemed to reach a decision.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

James roared with delight but suddenly realized that he was one of few to do so. He glanced around indignantly and took in the shocked faces of nearly every person in the room. However, these looks of surprise were nothing compared to the intense loathing emanating from the Slytherin table in the back. "How is it possible?" James heard someone mutter. "Yeah, a _Black_ in Gryffindor? Must be some kind of mistake…"

He felt his insides burn with anger, but just then, the entire Gryffindor table stood up and began cheering for Sirius, who looked incredibly surprised then relieved. James shot him a toothy grin as the latter made his way to the Gryffindor table and sat at the end.

The sorting continued like this for a while and then McGonagall called out, "Evans, Lily."

Lily Evans walked forward when her name was called. James saw that she was trembling slightly and for some reason, part of him hoped that she wouldn't get put in Slytherin. He needn't have worried, for the moment the hat was placed on Lily's head, it screamed, "GRYFFINDOR!"

James turned around and tried not to laugh at the angry look on Snape's face. Not long after, James himself was called up.

When the hat was placed on his head, James immediately thought, "please Gryffindor, please Gryffindor, please…"

"_James potter," _said a voice in his head and he realized it was the sorting hat. "_Let's see where would be the best place for you…" _

"I want to be in Gryffindor," James thought firmly and he heard a low chuckle in his mind. _"Gryffindor eh? You certainly have the bravery and the charisma, but I also see… a more ambitious side to you-perhaps Slyther-"_

"NO!" James had said the last part out loud and he opened his eyes and flushed as he realized that everyone was laughing at him.

"Sorry," He said with a smile and closed his eyes again. However, the hat seemed to have already made its choice and yelled out, "GRYFFINDOR!" James was elated but he tried not to pump his fist. He handed the old hat back to McGonagall and raced to sit next to Sirius and across from Lily, who immediately looked the other way.

"Oh come off it," James said to her bracingly. "Your friend over there is going to end up in Slytherin, there's no use in hoping for the impossible." Lily had stood up and left while he was talking. She walked over to the other end of the table next to some other girls.

James turned to Sirius in confusion, and found that his friend was looking thoroughly amused, "Is that how you court a lady James?"

James looked at him in surprise, "Who said I was trying to court Evans? I was just telling her not to get her hopes up," He joined in the clapping as Remus Lupin was sorted into Gryffindor as well and joined them happily.

After what seemed like ages, the sorting finally ended and everyone jumped when Dumbledore announced the start of the feast. Out of nowhere, foods of all kinds appeared on the golden dishware in front of them. James bit his fist to avoid laughing out loud at Sirius' eyeballs, which were popping out of his head at all the meat and desserts in front of him.

"This is fantastic," he yelled and began grabbing everything in sight. James followed suit but did not resemble a wild animal as much as Sirius did. Remus clearly had the best table manners of the group, as he had tied his napkin to his robes and neatly cut a steak with a fork and knife.

Everyone in the hall was chatting happily and even McGonagall, who James thought had a permanent frown on her face, was laughing at something Professor Sprout, the Herbology teacher, had said in her ear.

"I think I'm sick," Sirius mumbled nearly an hour later. He had leaned back in his seat and was rubbing his stomach. James and Remus laughed at him. "You ate half the table's food Sirius, I wouldn't be surprised if you threw up later," said James helpfully.

"Don't say it," Sirius grumbled and it was a welcome relief when the Head Boy stood up and told them to follow him upstairs to Gryffindor tower.

When they arrived at the portrait of the famous "Fat Lady," the head boy turned around. "Remember, the password is _shrivelfig root_," he said looking around at the gathered first years. "It would do you well to remember it." James noted with amusement that Lily Evans was copying that down in a small notebook.

On that note, the head boy then stepped aside and allowed them into their home for the next seven years. There was a collective gasp as they entered the common room. There were plush armchairs and couches all around and a warm, cozy fireplace in the corner of the large room. There were two staircases leading up to the dormitories.

James turned to Sirius and Remus with a grin, "Last one up there sleeps on the floor tonight," He said before turning tail and sprinting ahead. "Hey you got a head start!" Sirius yelled but him and Remus followed suit and soon they were the first ones in the boy's first year dormitories.

"Re-Remus was last," Sirius said as he gasped for breath. Remus leaned against a comfy looking four-poster bed and sighed.

"Well, I guess I'm sleeping on the floor tonight then," He said looking rather glum. "Oh come off it mate, we were just playing," said James. He walked over a bed in the center of the room. "I'll take this one then, right next to the window." He said as he jumped happily onto the bed.

When Sirius and Remus had finished claiming their beds as well, the door swung open and two other first years came in.

One was a short, blonde haired boy with watery eyes. He looked rather terrified of them. The other boy had brown hair and an extremely cheerful expression on his face, "Hello there," he said, shaking all of their hands. "I'm Frank Longbottom," he said. They turned to the short boy who seemed to melt under their gazes.

"P-p-Peter Pettigrew," He stammered, before running to a bed in the corner of the room and diving under the covers. Sirius snickered at him but didn't say anything.

James motioned for Frank to sit down and then leaned back on his bed. "I guess I'll be in your care for the next seven years Longbottom," he yawned.

The boys stayed up until nearly midnight talking about Quidditch teams, classes and their families. Sirius didn't join the last conversation, but they managed to get Peter to crawl out from under his covers to talk about himself a little as well.

Frank came from a family of purebloods, but as he told them firmly, they were not one of the pureblood supremacists like the Malfoys were. Peter was also pureblooded, but no one seemed to recognize the name "Pettigrew" from anywhere, which caused him to flush in embarrassment.

Frank turned to James and grinned heartily, "I never would have imagined I'd see a fellow Chudley Cannon fan here," he said. James winked at him. "This year is their year, I've been saying it all summer," He agreed.

"Are you trying out for the team next year?" He asked Frank eagerly. Frank looked thoughtful, "I think I might," he said with a faraway look on his face. "I've been dreaming of it since I was young, but you know…" he looked embarrassed. "I don't know if I've got the confidence to tell you the truth," he said bashfully.

James clapped him on the back, "Just follow my lead and you'll be good to go all season mate," he said cheerfully.

Frank smiled, "guess that's not something you lack is it?" He laughed good-naturedly. "It's getting rather late and Remus over there's struggling not to fall asleep sitting," he said while standing up. "Good night boys, see you tomorrow bright and early!" And the lights were out.

James stayed in bed lying awake for a minute. After all of the years he had dreamed of seeing the castle for himself and becoming the hero of the Quidditch team, he was finally here at Hogwarts. With a contented sigh James rolled over, and in seconds was asleep with a huge smile on his face.


	5. Pincushions and Competition

**Pincushions and Competition**

'_Give me the quaffle!' James yelled, waving his arms as he did so. The ball was in his hands a second later, and the crowd stood in anticipation for the next play. James lowered himself to his broomstick and rocketed towards the terrified keeper, who was frozen in place. _

_Utilizing his dexterity and control, James easily dodged the two bludgers that had been aimed at his head and threw with all his might, the shot that would win the Gryffindors the lead-_

'GOALLLL!'

He woke up screaming and realized with disappointment that it had all been a dream. The curtains next to his opened, revealing a very disgruntled Sirius. 'Keep it down Potter,' he grumbled as he fell back on his bed, 'some people are still trying to sleep.'

James reached over and placed his glasses on his face. 'Remus' figure came into focus. He was already dressed for the day and was currently trying to wake Peter and Sirius to no avail. He looked at James pleadingly.

James grinned wickedly and pulled out his wand from his robes. '_Aguamenti!'_ He said, jabbing it at Sirius. An icy cold jet of water spurted out from his wand and onto the sleeping boy's head, causing him to flip out of his four-poster with a strangled shout and land on the floor with a thud. He shook his wet hair out of his eyes and glared at James indignantly, while the latter smiled back.

'Rise and shine,' he said while holding out a hand, which Sirius took, looking a bit disgruntled. 'Let's go get some breakfast.'

They roused Frank and Peter from their sleep and a quarter of an hour later, they were seated in the great hall with the other chatting students. Professor McGonagall was walking around the hall passing out their schedules for the day.

When she arrived at James' section of the table, she handed them their schedules and even offered them a tight smile. 'I think I'm growing on her,' Sirius said with an amused expression. Remus raised an eyebrow.

'I've heard Professor McGonagall is one of the stricter teachers here, so you might want to tread lightly around her,' he said sagely, as he cut into his eggs. Sirius frowned at him, 'why should I tread lightly?' Remus chewed and swallowed. 'I just mean, she doesn't seem to be the type who would tolerate what you two did to Malfoy last night on the boats,' he whispered as McGonagall walked away.

'We did that to save you,' Sirius started, but he was soon drowned out by the incoming hoard of straggling sixth and seventh years, who were late to breakfast.

Transfiguration was first up for the Gryffindor first years, and they would be sharing the period with the Hufflepuffs. As they filed into Professor McGonagall's room, James and Sirius immediately took a seat in the far back row of the room. Remus and Peter sat at a table on their left. Lily Evans sat down in the front row of the room with her books already out and ready to go.

Soon everyone was settled in and Professor McGonagall walked up to the front of the room.

'Good morning everyone,' she said curtly. 'I'm sure you already know who I am, but I will introduce myself again. I am Profess McGonagall, and I will be your Transfiguration teacher here at Hogwarts.' She noticed Lily's eager expression and smiled kindly. 'I appreciate your eagerness Ms. Evans, but for today's class we will not be needing our textbooks,' she said.

Several students looked puzzled and Professor McGonagall continued on as Lily stowed away her textbooks. 'Today, I only wish to see your aptitudes for elementary transfiguration.' She pulled out a needle and set it on her fingertips so the class could see. She then tapped it lightly with her wand and it morphed into a small pincushion, which she held up.

Most of the class was very impressed with this small piece of magic. Lily, James noticed, was especially excited. Remus, who had been one of the 'nicer people' Lily and Snape had sat next to for the rest of the train ride, had mentioned to James last night that Lily was a muggleborn witch who had grown up without magic like the rest of them had.

'Now you try,' said Professor McGonagall as she handed out needles. 'Remember the wrist movement and enunciate. You have until the end of class.'

James yawned and pulled out his wand. 'I could do simple tricks like this in my sleep,' he thought and tapped the needle.

It immediately morphed into a pincushion just like McGonagall's. He put his wand away and turned around, only to see Remus and Peter staring at him incredulously.

To his right, Sirius had also managed to transform his needle and they shared grins. 'Looks like we're first,' said Sirius while leaning back in his seat.

Professor McGonagall walked by and offered them a small smile. 'Excellent Mr. Potter and Mr. Black, take ten points for Gryffindor,' Some other students were starting to get it, although James noted with a grin, Lily Evans was not one of them. The redhead's face was slowly matching her hair as she tried to transform her needle, to no avail. The girl sitting next to her was encouraging her but she kept doing the flicking motion wrong, jabbing her wand instead.

'I should probably show her,' he thought and made his way over to her table. 'Having trouble Evans?' He asked while running a hand through his messy hair. Lily looked up at him with dislike but then resumed her efforts.

James watched her with an amused expression for a few more moments before offering to help again. 'Seriously you're doing the flick wrong, do it like this,' he said and he demonstrated with his own wand.

Her needle turned into a pincushion. Lily gawked at it for a moment, before glaring at him. 'Change it back, I haven't gotten it yet,' she seethed.

James smirked. He was having quite a lot of fun messing with her but he saw McGonagall make her way over and with a flick of his wrist, he changed her pincushion back into a needle. Lily looked rather impressed, although grudgingly.

She whispered James' advice to herself and performed the motion again, only this time her needle morphed into a pincushion just like her friend's.

'Lily you did it!' The girl next to her cheered happily. James puffed out his chest and cleared his throat. 'Don't you have something to say, Evans?' he asked, ignoring Remus groan from the back. Lily bowed her head grudgingly. 'Thanks,' she mumbled. Then she glared at him so suddenly that he took a step back in surprise. 'You may have done better at this Potter, but I'm going to be the one helping you in our next class!' She steamed.

James laughed at the angry look on her face and went back to his seat. Soon, the bell rang signaling the end of Transfiguration. As James and Sirius were heading out the door, someone tapped on James' shoulder. He turned and saw the girl who had been sitting next to Lily. James had not noticed before, but she was rather pretty, with blonde curls tucked behind her ears and a round face to match.

'Alice Dearborn,' she introduced herself cordially and eyed James coolly. 'Can I have a quick word, Potter?'

Ignoring Sirius' catcalls, James nodded and stepped aside. Lily was eyeing them curiously, and it hadn't escaped his notice that Frank was as well, but they soon disappeared into the crowd of students.

'What's bothering you Dearborn,' he said conversationally, leaning against a pillar.

Alice crossed her arms. 'I thought I'd let you know that Lily's super talented at magic.' She said firmly.

James frowned. 'Right… and what does that have to do with me?' He asked. He was beginning to feel slightly uncomfortable with the conversation.

Alice seemed to have the same feeling as James as she suddenly began staring at his feet as she spoke. 'Well… you know how some people here feel about muggleborns-' she said in a rush.

James raised his eyebrows. 'Ah, let me guess… you wanted to make sure I wasn't making fun of her today for being muggleborn right?' He said slowly.

Alice nodded, still staring at his feet but looked up when James laughed. 'What's so funny?' She asked indignantly.

James shook his head. 'Just wondering what was on my feet that made you stare,' he said in amusement and before she could say anything, he raced off to Charms, calling over his shoulder as he did so, 'By the way, I'd appreciate it if you never associated me with those pureblood supremacist morons!'

James was predictably, late to Charms and the tiny Professor Flitwick admonished him lightly before sending him to his seat. James took a seat next to Sirius once more and ignored his questioning glance. 'Later,' he mouthed.

Much like McGonagall, Flitwick had decided to spend their first class evaluating his students' abilities. He passed out feathers and instructed them to work on the simple levitating charm, _winguardium leviosa. _

'Should be easy,' thought James as he saw that Remus had already done it successfully. He pulled out his wand and muttered the incantation at his feather. To his surprise, the feather didn't budge. He attempted several more tries, all to no avail. 'Something wrong with my wand?' he thought, scratching his head in confusion.

'Having a hard time, Potter?' he heard someone behind him snicker and turned to face Lily, who had on a triumphant smile.

'You got it?' He asked dumbly and Lily's grin grew wider.

'I don't believe it,' he said confidently. Lily demonstrated and gracefully levitated her feather up to the ceiling and it eventually fell back down onto James' head, obscuring his vision. Remus congratulated her. 'That was great Lily! I could only get it to go about three feet up,' he said with a smile. Lily returned the smile and for some reason, James felt a small twinge in his chest.

Sirius appeared next to them and threw his arm around James' shoulder. 'Oh poor James, did the evil flower lady do something mean to you?' He cried with a reproachful look at Lily.

Lily smirked. 'Just remember Potter, don't underestimate me just because I wasn't born into magic like you,' she spun around and walked back to Alice Dearborn who was watching them the whole time.

The lunch bell rang soon after, and James stowed away his unopened textbook feeling rather irritated. He looked up and saw Lily and Alice laughing up ahead and the feeling grew.

Remus sighed and exchanged a knowing look with Sirius and Peter. 'Looks like James has got a little competition now.' He said with a small laugh.


	6. Dark Arts and Notices

**Dark Arts and Notices**

As their first week at Hogwarts drew to a close, the first years had finally begun to settle into their new surroundings. James and Sirius had already established themselves as the top of each of their classes except for Charms and Potions, where Lily Evans topped them all.

Every time James got an answer right in class, Lily seemed to take it upon herself to raise her hand twice as much as everyone else just to get one up on him. Sirius had taken to teasing him about this whenever she was around, much to his chagrin.

'I dunno why she's trying so hard to beat me,' James said one afternoon as they were headed to Defense against the Dark Arts. 'It's like I've done something to offend her,' he looked to Remus for support. 'I haven't done anything, have I?' He asked.

Remus frowned. 'I don't know James,' he said thoughtfully. 'Although I do have a hunch that her being friends with Severus has something to do with it,' he finished. James' eyes narrowed at the mention of Snape's name.

'Ah, Snivellus again,' he sniffed distastefully. 'Wonder what she sees in that git.' Sirius grinned as they made their way over to a seat in the back.

'Hey I think it's high time that we pulled a prank on that slimy prat,' he said. James was inclined to agree but their Professor walked in at that moment, and banged the door shut rather loudly causing them all to jump.

Professor Meriweather was this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. As the holder of the position that everyone reckoned was cursed, he certainly looked the part. His gray hair was neatly combed to the side and he had several scars on his jaw and neck. He walked with a constant limp, which only made him seem tougher. He looked rather intimidating to say the least.

'Good afternoon,' he said curtly. A few people greeted him back, but he didn't seem to care. 'Today, as we have done all week, I would like to continue our discussion about the realities of your situation in England,' He said.

There were murmurs around the classroom. Several people asked what he was talking about.

'He must mean Voldemort,' Sirius whispered in James' ear. James nodded but never tore his eyes away from the Professor, who had begun pacing around the room. 'Who can tell me about the attacks that have been pervasive in Britain for over a year now?' He stopped. 'No one…?'

'The ministry thinks that some pureblood supremacy group is behind it,' said Frank. Meriweather walked towards him and leaned in to study Frank's face. Frank leaned back in his chair nervously.

'Longbottom is it? Can you tell me which so called pureblood supremacists are the most likely suspects?' He asked quietly. Frank shook his head.

'Death Eaters,' James said loudly to several audible gasps from around the room. 'They're the ones running around torturing muggles and blood traitors.' While the Gryffindors looked confused or fearful, the Slytherins on the other end of the room looked rather smug. James noticed Snape smirking at two of his friends when he had spoken.

Professor Meriweather studied James closely for a moment before standing up. 'That is an interesting assumption, Mr. Potter,' he said coldly. 'But there has been no eviden-'

'Dead bodies aren't evidence?' James cut in angrily. 'The only people who would torture muggles are those wacky purebloods who think they're better than everyone else and if it's not them I'll eat my-'

Nobody heard what exactly James was going to eat as Meriweather chose that moment to slam his palm on James' desk. James glared back arrogantly, ignoring the nudges from Remus' elbow.

'What Mr. Potter here has just demonstrated,' Meriweather began raspily, 'is a woeful ignorance of the complexity of the wizarding world _today.' _He held up a hand to silence James' protests.

'Remember this,' he continued. _'_Nothing is black and white, there are always gray areas in between_... and sometimes, those are the most dangeorus areas to be around.' _

They spend the rest of class reading out of their textbooks, although James left his untouched. He was thinking deeply about what Meriweather had just told them. When class ended, Remus and Peter ran over to them.

'What'd you guys think of that lesson?' Remus asked as they headed into the corridors with the other students. They walked slowly as they talked.

'I'm just confused as to why Meriweather got so angry when I said that it's those pureblood fanatics' fault.' He said.

Remus nodded grimly, 'Yes, it's a scary thought,' he said quietly and a shadow seemed to cross over his face. 'That the people who you think are the closest to you are the ones who end up destroying you.'

Sirius face dawned in comprehension, 'Ohhh, so that's what he meant by 'gray areas,' he said while punching his hand. 'I thought he was talking about Snivellus' shampoo.'

They had a brief break before their next class, so James and Sirius decided to head back to the common room. Remus and Peter walked up two flights of stairs with them, and then left them at the library where they wanted to check out some transfiguration books.

When he climbed through the portrait hole, the first thing James saw was a throng of first years crowded around the notice board. He pushed his way through the crowd and saw a flyer hanging in the center of the board.

'_First year Gryffindors,_

_This is a reminder to you, that flying lessons will take place on Wednesday, September 15, on the Quidditch pitch. Tardiness will result in a deduction of house points.'_

'Wicked,' breathed Sirius, who had just managed to crawl through the gaps to reach James' side.

James turned to his friend, a huge grin lighting his face. 'I've been waiting fly for a while now,' he said joyously. 'There's something Evans won't be able to match me in,' he said with a cocky smile. All of his thoughts about Meriweather's lesson had left him now.

Frank made his way over to them. 'You excited to fly, Potter?' He asked in his usual cheerful voice. James nodded excitedly, 'can't wait,' he said, feeling extremely restless all of a sudden. 'What about you?' Frank grinned. 'I've been waiting to get some practice in. It feels like ages since I last touched a broom.'

Quidditch was a hot topic that evening at dinner and even Alice Dearborn joined in on their conversation about the international Quidditch season standings. Lily ignored them completely and stabbed at her food rather viciously, clearly missing Alice's attention.

The conversation then turned to broomsticks. 'All I've got is a comet one hundred, and mine's really old now,' Alice said mournfully. 'I really wish my parents would get me a new one…'

'Well, you could always charm a regular broom' Frank joked but shrunk at Alice's glare.

'My parents are rich so technically I've got a comet one-fifty,' said Sirius to gasps of appreciation from the group, 'but I'm never allowed to ride it since I live in London and plus,' he added with a dark look, 'anything that's fun is prohibited by them, so I never got to fly much.'

They turned to James next. 'Now I wonder what broom the famous James Potter rides?' Frank asked curiously.

James swallowed and felt rather nervous. 'Uh, well- that is-I, uh… _a nimbus one thousand…'_ he said flushing.

He had never felt comfortable being wealthier than most other people, and the expressions of awe and jealousy on their faces only exacerbated that feeling. 'That's the newest broom on the market, how…?' Alice looked thunderstruck.

'Of course you would have the newest broomstick Potter,' came a snide voice from behind them and James whipped around to see Severus Snape standing there with a smirk on his sallow face.

Glad for a change in subject, James messed up his hair, 'Hey Snivellus, how's your first week treating you?" Snape grimaced at the nickname but retained his composure.

'I hear you fancy yourself a good flyer, perhaps I'll see you on the pitch next year?' James sniggered rudely, 'you sure you'll be able to fly Snape? I would have thought that all that grease on you head would slow you down,' He quipped to laughter from Sirius, Frank and surprisingly even Alice.

Snape's eyes narrowed, but Lily had stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder. 'Sev don't start anything here,' she groaned. She turned to James with a look of annoyance, 'and you stop calling him that, or I'll-'

'You'll do what Evans, _Wingardium leviosa _me?' He snickered. Lily's eyes narrowed dangerously, 'If the shoe fits, Potter.' She hissed and then she stormed out of the hall, dragging Snape behind her.

Snape allowed himself to be dragged along by Lily, but not before shooting one last look of loathing at James. He turned to Alice.

'You don't like Snape?' He asked curiously. Alice raised her eyebrows. 'Why's that so surprising?' she asked coolly.

James shrugged. 'Your friends with Evans, I would have thought that there'd be some rule banning you from talking bad about him in front of her that's all,' he said.

Alice laughed at that. 'Well, I've certainly been on the bad end of some of Lily's lectures recently but honestly, I think that boy is bad news.' She finished in a rather serious tone.

James' eyebrows shot up, 'There may be some hope for you after all Dearborn,' he joked, but he felt strangely relieved.

The knowledge that one of Lily's closest friends felt the same way that he did about her relationship with Snape made James feel incredibly light for some reason. He turned to Remus, who was eyeing him knowingly.

'What?'

Remus shook his head with a small smile. 'Its nothing James.'


	7. Saves and Absences

**Saves and Absences**

On Wednesday morning immediately following breakfast, the first year Gryffindors were sent to the Quidditch pitch for their flying lessons. It was still very early in the day, and the cool breeze rustled the leaves of the surrounding foliage. James was one of the few students who were wide-awake at the time.

When they reached the pitch, James stepped apart from the other Gryffindors and gazed around in excitement. He had dreamed of standing in this pitch for ages, and even though he technically couldn't join the Quidditch team this year, he was still eager to fly.

The babble of conversation halted when their instructor, a rather severe looking woman with sharp eyes and dark hair, arrived on the pitch. She dropped a heavy looking crate at her feet and motioned for them all to come closer.

'Good morning,' she greeted them. 'I am Madame Hooch, and I was appointed as the Quidditch instructor and referee by Professor Dumbledore last year.'

She placed her hands on her hips sternly, 'Although I am by no means an experienced teacher here, I do expect you to obey my rules on this pitch,' she said.

Her hawk like eyes travelled amongst them and rested on James. 'For those of you who are more experienced fliers, please refrain from going off on your own,' she said. Several people including James groaned.

Madame Hooch then lined them up so that they were all facing another student. They each had a school broomstick lying at their feet.

'When I say go, you will say '_up' _in a clear voice and your broomstick should rise to your hand at once,' instructed Madame Hooch. 'Some of you may have difficulty at first but do not fear, these things come with practice.'

She held up her hand, 'On my signal… now go!'

There was a chorus of 'ups,' however many people's broomsticks remained still on the ground. Others including James, Sirius, Frank and Alice had no trouble commanding their broomsticks into their palms. James felt the broomstick and grimaced, 'not really my first choice' he grumbled, 'but it'll do I suppose.'

Sirius looked at his old broom pitifully as he examined the various places with wood sticking out from overuse. 'This would be put to better use as an ordinary broom,' he said ruefully.

A few minutes later, some other Gryffindors began getting the hang of it. 'I did it!' Lily shouted excitedly, much to James' annoyance. Madame Hooch blew her whistle.

'Those of you whose brooms still will not listen to you, I will work with you individually in a moment,' she turned to the others. 'The rest of you, mount your brooms like so,' she demonstrated the correct posture and they all mounted like she did.

'Get on with it,' James muttered, bouncing up and down on his broom. He was dying to just take off right then and there. Hooch finally blew her whistle and yelled, 'kick off the ground!'

James grinned and with a hard push off the ground, he was off into the sky, yelling with glee as he twirled and looped around the pitch. He had forgotten how good the wind felt against his face as he streaked around the air. James took a moment to pause in midair and glance back at the ground. Half of the Gryffindors, he noted with amusement, were still stuck at five feet or so above ground. Sirius and Frank caught up with him a moment later, both wearing similar expressions of joy.

'I thought I'd be a bit rusty but I feel great,' Frank said happily.

'That's the spirit Longbottom,' cried Sirius and he did a few extra flips on his broom. 'Pity not many others seem to be getting off the ground,' he added while looking upside down at the ground.

James had no trouble spotting Lily Evans' red mane even from the height he was at, and he had to fight back a smirk. Madame Hooch was yelling instructions at her while she remained stubbornly stuck on the floor. She was one of the last people who still hadn't gotten off the ground.

'OIIII! Potter, Longbottom watch out!' a voice suddenly shrieked from behind them and they turned to see Alice flying towards them like a bullet. James spun under his broom to avoid her and when he looked up, he saw that she had lost control of her broom.

'Oh no, she's going to crash!' Frank yelled in panic. He guessed right. Alice crashed straight into one of the Quidditch hoops and hung on for her life as her broomstick continued speeding forward without her. A moment later her hand slipped, and she fell to the ground with a scream.

James immediately shot downwards into a nosedive. He could hear someone flying close behind him and knew without looking, who it was. An idea formed in his mind.

'Longbottom fly on my left and match my speed!' he yelled. Frank obeyed, understanding without words what James' plan was. At the speed that Alice was falling, one broomstick would clearly not be enough to stop her momentum, so they were going to catch her at the same time before she became an Alice flavored pancake on the lawn.

Alice was nearing dangerously close to the ground now, and had squeezed her eyes tightly shut.

'Now!' The two boys wrenched their brooms up as suddenly as they could and with their off hands, they each grabbed one of Alice's arms as she was only feet from the ground.

James could see Madame Hooch running over from the corner of his eye, but his attention was focused on stopping their momentum. Briefly letting go of his broomstick, he whipped out his wand and yelled hex after hex at the ground in front of them. Frank caught on and did the same with his wand, and together they managed to slow down the brooms before the three of them landed in a heap on the grass, dirty but unscathed.

Madame Hooch was the first one to reach them, and Lily followed closely behind her looking very frightened.

'Are you all right? _Merlin's beard_ Dearborn, what were you thinking, losing control like that?!' screeched Madame Hooch. 'You could have been seriously injured!' She turned to James and Frank now, as Lily hugged Alice tightly.

'That was a dangerous stunt you two pulled,' she began angrily, but her expression softened. 'Although I have to admit that that was an impressive bit of flying you two showed us. This isn't really relevant given what just occurred here, but perhaps you two would consider trying out for Quidditch next year?' On that note, Madame Hooch left them and blew her whistle to signal the end of their first flying lesson.

James turned and grinned at Frank, who was still trying to catch his breath.

'You hear that Longbottom? She meant you and me, Gryffindor's deadliest Chaser combo next year,' he said with pride.

Frank managed a small smile through his wheezing, 'I think I'll take things one step at a time,' he chuckled. 'For now, I'm just glad that Dearborn wasn't hurt.'

James didn't realize how lucky he was until two older Gryffindors stopped him on his way back to the castle. One was a rather tall girl with long brown hair tied back into a ponytail.

'You're James Potter,' she said, holding out a hand. James nodded expectantly. 'Yeah I am,' he said as he shook her hand. 'And you are…?'

'I'm Dorcas Meadowes,' said the tall girl, 'Third year. I play keeper for the Gryffindor team and this,' she motioned to the stocky red-haired boy next to her, 'is Dirk Cresswell, who plays chaser. He's a sixth year.'

Cresswell grinned at James and shook his hand. 'Nice bit of flying you and the Longbottom kid pulled off,' he said. 'You'd better try out next year,' he added with a wink.

James laughed and flipped his broomstick onto his shoulder, 'Definitely,' he said.

James' mood remained cheerful all through the day and lasted well into the evening. He insisted on humming various tunes on his way to dinner that caused no small irritation to the portraits he passed by.

'Why is he so bloody happy?' he heard Lily whisper behind is back to Alice, who chuckled.

'He probably got a new sweater from mummy,' Alice whispered back loudly.

James spun around and flashed his most winning smile at the two girls. 'Actually Dearborn, it should please you to know that I've just been recruited to the Gryffindor Quidditch team.' He said pompously.

'Nobody gets recruited Potter,' Alice snorted. 'All those two did was compliment you on your flying-'

'Longbottom and I have been waiting for you to do the same all day,' James interrupted her as he fished out Frank from the crowd and placed an arm around his shoulders, 'don't we deserve some thanks for saving your skin?' He chided.

Alice looked rather embarrassed at his words and turned pink. 'I- well, that is to say-… _thanks_,' she mumbled.

James noted with amusement that her thanks was only directed at Frank, who nodded awkwardly.

Lily sighed and grabbed Alice's arm, 'Come on Alice, let's go eat,' she said. James called after her, 'Where's my thanks Evans?' She ignored him and sat down with her friends at the opposite end of the table.

Sirius guffawed at the exchange and James chose to ignore him.

He looked around and saw Peter seated across from him with Frank sitting next to Peter. Sirius was seated on his left.

'Where's Remus?' He asked. Sirius frowned. 'I don't recall him being at the flying lesson or classes today either,' he said. 'Maybe he's sick?'

The boys considered that a good possibility and decided to check and see if Remus was in the hospital wing after eating dinner.

When they opened the door to the hospital wing later, they found Madame Pomfrey alone in the room. They asked her if she had any idea where Remus was but she simply told them to get out if they weren't injured.

'Fat lot of help she was,' grumbled Sirius as they made their way back to the common room. It was starting to get late and they were beginning to worry over their friend's mysterious absence.

'I wonder where he could have gone,' James said thoughtfully. 'I hadn't noticed it before, but wasn't he gone all day today?'

'Yeah, he's been gone since breakfast,' Peter said timidly. 'He's probably just holed up in the library or something doing homework,' said Sirius, rolling his eyes.

They turned the corner and suddenly found themselves face to face with Professor McGonagall.

'What are you doing out so late?' She asked with a disapproving look at the three of them. 'Curfew is in ten minutes, as I'm sure you know?'

James spoke up before she could reprimand them any further, 'We were uh, just looking for our friend Remus,' he said and McGonagall's eye twitched so slightly that James wasn't sure he hadn't imagined it. 'He's been gone all day. Do you know where he is, Professor?'

Professor McGonagall studied him closely before sighing deeply.

'Mr. Lupin is off seeing his mother now,' she said sadly. 'Poor woman, she has contracted a rather severe case of spattergroit and has been hospitalized at St. Mungos in London.'

Peter gasped and James felt a wave of sympathy for his friend.

'He wished to keep it a secret, but I trust that you three being his close friends can keep your mouths shut about this matter,' she looked expectantly at the three of them.

James swallowed and nodded. 'Of course Professor,' he said. McGonagall nodded once and sent them off to bed.

They walked in silence back to their dormitories, each of them deep in thought. Sirius finally broke the tension, 'Poor Lupy, I say we cheer him up when he gets back.'

James didn't answer him.

There was something fishy about McGonagall's story, he thought. Had he just imagined it? Or was McGonagall hiding something from them. He stopped walking and Sirius and Peter turned to face him looking puzzled.

'McGonagall said that Remus' mother was at St. Mungos for spattergroit correct?' He said suddenly realizing what was wrong.

Peter looked confused but Sirius' face dawned with realization.

James nodded grimly, 'St. Mungos doesn't deal with cases of spattergroit anymore,' he said quietly.


	8. Favors and Feuds

**Favors and Feuds**

**Hey don't forget to review! Now onto the story...**

Remus returned to their classes a couple days later, looking more tired and serious than usual. James, Sirius and Peter had immediately badgered him with questions about his absence but Remus wouldn't give them a clear answer. James decided to lay off of him for a bit.

A welcome distraction from their concerns about Remus came when Alice walked over to them at breakfast one morning. She was fidgeting and looked uncharacteristically nervous about something.

'What's up Dearborn?' Asked James. Sirius tapped him on the shoulder, 'can you pass the ketchup?' He asked through a mouthful of sausage. James handed him the sausage and laughed at Alice's disgusted expression.

She shook her head and sighed, before clapping her hands together in front of her face, 'Please teach me how to control my broomstick,' she pleaded.

'Ah,' said James in understanding. Earlier that week, Alice had lost control of her broom during their flying lesson and nearly killed herself by falling from the Quidditch goal post. Thanks to James and Frank, she was unharmed but her pride had taken a rather huge blow.

'You want me to teach you how to fly?' James asked, raising his eyebrows. Alice nodded quickly, her blonde curls shaking. While he was happy that she had recognized his superior flying skills, James couldn't help but feel a little confused. Why not just ask Madame Hooch or an older Gryffindor for help?

Alice's eyes moved up the table and it suddenly dawned on James. 'Maybe it'd be better if Frank lends me a hand,' he said smoothly.

Alice's face lit up and she beamed at him. Frank turned his head and looked at them in confusion. James explained the situation to him and bit back a laugh when Frank jumped to his feet in excitement, knocking over Peter's plate of toast.

'Yes of course! I mean, uh… yeah I'm in,' he finished sheepishly.

James turned in his seat and caught Lily staring at him. Her look was equal parts suspicious and- he wasn't sure but- _amused? _But the look quickly turned into a scowl when their eyes met and she went back to chatting with her friends.

James shrugged it off and bit into a piece of chicken. Something told him it was going to be a long day.

After breakfast, they made their way to Potions in the dungeons. Professor Slughorn, the Potions professor, was the head of Slytherin. He was surprisingly moralistic and likeable considering which house he led, although he could be a bit overbearing at times.

His favorite students were Lily and her friend Severus Snape, who James had to admit, was rather talented at Potions. Whenever Gryffindor had a Potions class with the Slytherins, Slughorn would place Lily and Snape together at one table and tell everyone else to use their potion as an example.

Today was no exception, and when Slughorn instructed them in his jovial voice to brew a sleeping drought, James immediately partnered with Sirius.

Soon, the sounds of bubbling liquids and hot steam filled the classroom. James nudged Sirius and pointed at Lily and Snape.

The two star students had already finished stirring and were well ahead of everyone else. James grinned mischievously at Sirius, whose face broke into a grin.

James turned his wand so that it was pointing in the direction of Lily and Snape's cauldron. He fired his spell and without looking to see if it hit, he immediately ran to Slughorn's desk and asked the Professor for a few extra mint leaves.

'Severus it's turning red,' he heard Lily say in confusion. 'The book says it should be brown by now.' James grinned and took the mint leaves back to his table. Sirius gave him a thumbs up.

He felt someone tap his shoulder and turned to see Remus with a frown on his face.

'Oh come off it,' he whispered back. 'It's just a little fun.' Remus looked like he wanted to say more but at that moment, Snape cried out in pain as their cauldron continued to heat up until it was too hot to touch.

Slughorn walked over and cringed at the hot mess in the cauldron. 'I'm afraid there has been a major error in your procedures,' he said in a disappointed voice, but brightened up. 'Well, nobody's perfect eh?'

Right when he finished this statement the cauldron burst into flames, causing several people to scream.

Lily pointed at Snape's robes in panic, 'Sev you're on fire!' she screamed.

Snape cursed and stomped on his robes to reduce the fire, but it did not diminish and began crawling up his side. For a moment, a look of fear flashed across his face, but then Slughorn waved his wand and the fire vanished.

'You see now how dangerous the consequences of not attending to your potion can bring, Mr. Snape and Ms. Evans,' he said wagging his finger at them. 'If I wasn't around, someone could have gotten hurt, so do be more careful from now on.'

Lily began cleaning up their mess with a crestfallen expression on her face. Snape on the other hand, immediately spun around to face James, a look of loathing on his face.

'YOU!' He shouted, pointing a shaking finger at James. 'Me?' James echoed, playing innocent. Snape stormed over to them and pulled out his wand.

Lily and Slughorn quickly stepped in and prevented a fight from breaking out between them, however Snape continued to yell profanities as he was pushed across the room. 'I know it was _you_, Potter and you're not going to get away with this!'

James and Sirius high fived, something that did not go unnoticed by Lily. She stalked over to them, looking furious.

'So it _was_ you that set Sev on fire,' she growled.

James put up his hands in mock surrender, 'No it wasn't,' he said. 'That was just Sirius helping him burn of the bad smell.'

Sirius barked with laughter, 'yeah sorry about that Evans,' he snickered. 'I didn't mean to get you involved.'

Lily's eyes were narrowed to slits and she rounded on Remus. 'And _why _were you just sitting here quietly the whole time when you could see that it was them?' She demanded. Remus looked down at his feet, 'I'm sorry Lily, I-'

'Oi don't snap at him like that,' James said irritably. Lily whirled around and glared at him. 'Don't tell me what to do, _Potter.'_ She said his last name like he was infinitely more detestable than a rotten flobberworm, and then she turned and stormed out of the room.

Remus sighed heavily and rubbed his temples, 'Can you two please keep a handle on yourselves, you could have seriously hurt someone,' he pleaded.

'Oh come on Lupy,' chimed Sirius. 'Nobody was hurt and everything is okay now!' Remus opened his eyes and looked directly at James. 'I have a feeling Lily's finally had it with you,' he said seriously.

James gulped in spite of himself, but sat up straight in his seat. 'She won't do anything if it's against the rules,' he said confidently, but somehow he felt a bit nervous.

Remus must have been a seer.

In the time since the potion's incident, school resumed rather peacefully, disturbed only by the occasional news of the grim situation outside of the castle's walls. The news of muggle murders were scattered across the Daily Prophet, although not one made the front page.

People didn't like talking about that subject much it seemed, so they simply chatted about more happy things such as Quidditch and easy homework assignments. Before they knew, two months had passed by.

Christmas holidays were fast approaching and provided another perfect excuse for people to forget about the situation outside of Hogwarts.

James was not one of those people, and he had been brooding a lot recently over the strings of murders in London and Northern England. He had mailed his father several times, asking for answers.

Mr. Potter had returned a few letters which went into more detail on the subject, although he never really responded and always ended cryptically with a 'just be careful James.'

After reading his father's latest mail, James groaned with frustration, causing the other three boys to look up at him. It was the last day of classes and they were seated around the fireplace in the common room. Remus was adding the finishing touches to his Defense Against the Dark Arts essay while Sirius and Peter played catch with a pillow.

'What's up with you?' Asked Sirius as he took a hit to the face.

James sighed and told them about his dad's letters and how he believed Voldemort was behind the killings.

They were silent for a moment. 'It's scary isn't it?' Remus finally said. 'No one knows where Voldemort is or who he's got working under him, it's like trying to catch a snitch under water.' Peter fidgeted nervously as Remus spoke. 'Y-you don't think that he'll come here, to school do you?' He squeaked.

Sirius threw the pillow at him, 'Stop being a wimp Peter,' he snapped. 'I don't know if you've forgotten, but Dumbledore's here and he's supposed to be the most powerful wizard ever. Voldemort's got no chance against him.'

'But then why isn't he going out there to fight him or look for him?' Peter asked uncertainly. Sirius inhaled deeply, 'Because he's the headmaster of Hogwarts Pete, he can't just leave the school to go on some wild goose chase.'

The conversation ended on that note and the four boys went to sleep.

The next morning, James awoke with a strange sensation. He felt like someone was watching him closely. He turned and saw Remus wide-awake, fully dressed and staring at him. James yawned and put on his glasses.

'What?' he asked. Remus' lips twitched but he simply shrugged. 'Nothing, let's get down to breakfast.' He said. James had a feeling he was hiding something, but decided to put that thought in the back of his mind.

They would all be leaving to go home for Christmas break that noon, and they only had one last class in the morning. James of course, was ecstatic to see his parents again, as were Remus and Peter. However, the same could not be said for Sirius, who had woken up in a somber mood and ate breakfast without saying much.

James knew a little about Sirius' dislike towards his family, but he had never asked for the details. It suddenly occurred to him that they wouldn't be pleased that he had been sorted into Gryffindor.

They were on their way to the greenhouses for Herbology when Remus' prediction finally came true.

'Potter!' James turned and found himself face to face with Lily Evans. He hadn't spoken to her in a couple of months, ever since the prank he and Sirius had played on her and Snape in Potions.

James was feeling rather tired with his mind occupied by Sirius's behavior and didn't really feel like dealing with her tirades at the moment. He sighed and threw up his hands. 'What do you want Eva-'

Before he could finish his sentence, Lily drew her wand and muttered, '_wingardium leviosa,'_ and James felt his feet leave the ground.

He stared at her in shock. She stared right back with a triumphant smirk that made him want to curse himself for his lack of caution.

Lily swung her wand in a wide circle and James went flying around in the sky. The other Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs who had gathered for class laughed at his ridiculous figure. Some covered their eyes in fear for James' safety.

As he was whizzing around at a dizzying speed, James suddenly felt lighter. It was almost as if he was flying on a broom, and everything that had worried him for the past two months had been blown out of his mind by the cool breeze that tickled his face and sent his hair flying back wildly.

'It's not so fun being on the other end of someone's pranks is it Potter,' he heard Lily say, although the wind was whistling rather loudly in his ears and blocked out the rest of her lecture.

He felt himself begin to descend. Perhaps Evans had had enough of flinging him around? James smirked, his good spirits had finally returned to him.

When Lily had dropped him down to about ten feet off the ground, James kicked his feet off of a nearby wall and plummeted the last ten feet straight to the ground.

There were gasps all around. When he landed, he rolled theatrically for a bit and ended up at Lily's feet.

He glanced up and saw that she had a concerned look on her face, for possibly taking her revenge too far. James grinned to himself, then yelled out dramatically.

'Uhhh! Oh Merlin- Evans… you really got me good didn't you,' he groaned loudly.

Lily immediately dropped to her knees and began shaking his shoulders desperately. 'Potter? Potter stop joking around this isn't- okay I'm sorry! I'm sorry all right? I-'

'WELL ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?!' James shouted, still faking a gruesome injury. Lily looked like she was close to tears.

'Stop pretending Potter, you look ridiculous,' came the voice of Alice Dearborn. She strode over and pulled Lily to her feet. 'Don't worry about him Lily, he's not worth it.'

James leapt to his feet, making Lily's eyes pop out of their sockets. She seemed lost for words, as her face became redder and redder with humiliation.

'Come on Dearborn,' He said coolly, 'since I'm going to be helping you fly soon, shouldn't you be a little more polite?' Alice snorted. 'I'd be fine with just Longbottom thanks,' she said.

Lily turned on James in anger. 'Potter,' she began, 'You know, I really thought you were hurt,' she hissed. James snorted. 'It was your fault for trying to get payback on me,' he said with a chuckle.

Lily shot him one last glare, before joining Alice in the greenhouse.

James turned and saw Sirius lying on the floor, laughing so hard that tears were streaming down his face. It was the first time he had laughed all week.

James felt a small smile tug at his lips. 'Thanks for your revenge, Evans.' He whispered with a chuckle.


	9. Departures and News

**Departures and News**

**A/N: Hello readers don't forget to review! Feel free to leave an idea or comment, as I'm open to suggestions.**

After Herbology, all the students gathered for a brief lunch in the great hall then went off to their dormitories to finish packing their belongings.

James and Sirius had neglected to do so the previous night, so they were forced to throw random possessions and clothes into their trunks rather unceremoniously. Remus' trunk was all packed and ready to go, so he offered to help them pack. With a wave of his wand, James' belongings sorted themselves out neatly and fell into piles on top of each other in his trunk, which then zipped itself shut.

'Handy spell Remus,' he said gratefully, 'I might need to learn that one.' Once Peter was packed to go as well, the four boys made their way down to the common room where the other Gryffindors were waiting with their trunks.

They arrived at the carriages carried by invisible creatures soon after, and were brought to Hogsmeade. The train ride was quick and uneventful, and before James knew it he was standing at King's Cross-station again.

'James, over here honey!' James saw Mr. and Mrs. Potter waving at him nearby and dragged his friends over to meet them.

Mrs. Potter pulled him into a long hug, 'How has first term at Hogwarts been for you James?' She asked. 'Are you eating properly? You're looking thinner than when you left,' she trailed off and noticed Sirius, Remus and Peter standing behind James.

'Oh you must be James' friends,' she said with a kind smile. 'I've heard all about you from James.'

'Mum…' James groaned. Mr. Potter chuckled, 'You can interrogate them later Olivia,' he said while shaking Sirius' hand. 'I'm sure James has got loads to tell us,' he said.

Remus and Peter saw their parents and waved goodbye to them as they ran off. Mr. Potter turned to Sirius. 'You're parents aren't here yet?' He asked.

Sirius shifted his feet uncomfortably and looked around, 'They might be a bit late,' He said.

There was an awkward silence, which was finally broken when James suggested he go see off Frank Longbottom. 'Later James,' he called over his shoulder before he too disappeared into the throng of people.

When James stepped back into his home in Godric's Hollow, it was almost as if he was entering another world from the one he had grown accustomed to.

The Potter residence was by no means small, but compared to Hogwarts with its various floors and passageways, it couldn't really compare.

Mrs. Potter hurried into the kitchen to prepare something to eat, and Mr. Potter pulled up a chair next to James. 'So,' he said with a smile, 'Tell me everything.'

James spent the next hour and a half recounting his first term at Hogwarts to his curious parents.

He told them about meeting Sirius, Remus and Peter, and how Remus' mother had a deadly case of spattergroit (he didn't mention his suspicions). He also recounted how had been scouted for the Gryffindor Quidditch team by two older members.

When he got to the Potion's incident where he had nearly set Severus Snape on fire, his mother smacked him on the head while his father looked rather amused.

After a scrumptious homemade dinner from Mrs. Potter, James decided to call it a night. As he lay awake on his bed, he thought of all the friends he had made and all the people he had met. It had certainly been an eventful term, but James still wasn't nearly satisfied.

Hogwarts had so many more mysteries to offer them, and he decided that upon returning, he would devote more time to exploring the castle at night with the others. With an excited grin, he fell asleep.

Hours later, James was awoken by a rapping sound on his window. He reached for the light and flicked it on, putting on his glasses with his other hand.

Outside in the cold night air, was a brown owl. James opened the window and shuddered at the gust of wind. The owl had a note attached to its leg.

James frowned. Hogwarts didn't normally send out Christmas greetings to all its students, did they? He fed the owl some treats and sat down on his bed.

He undid the rope and spread open the piece of parchment paper then read the contents.

_James,_

_ I just heard terrible news. There was an attack on a village near London earlier today. They say it was the death eaters. I'm not sure how many casualties there were but I do know several houses were burnt to the ground. My memory may have failed me but I'm almost certain this time; there are Hogwarts students that live in that community James. I thought I'd share it with you since I couldn't sleep. I've mailed Sirius and Peter as well._

_I hope your holiday has gone well so far,_

_Remus_

James' face paled and he let out a barely audible gasp. Remus had said that there was a chance that some _Hogwarts students_ had been involved in the attack.

Fear flooded James at the thought.

He immediately rushed to his parent's room without knocking. They were still awake and looked to be speaking in hushed tones about something. Mr. Potter looked up when his son entered.

'James why are you still awake? You should get some-'

His eyes travelled from James' white face to the letter he clutched in his hand. To James' surprise, Mr. Potter didn't question him about the letter, but sighed deeply and turned to Mrs. Potter, 'He knows, Olivia.'

'Mum?' James whispered. It was dark in the room but he could faintly see the outline of tears on his mother's face. 'Mum, why are you crying?' He asked again.

Mr. Potter nodded at her and turned to look out the window with a grave expression on his face.

'There's been an attack,' he began softly, but James interrupted him.

'Dad, was anyone killed?' he asked, cutting right to the chase.

He needed to know that no one was killed that day. He needed his father to tell him that it wasn't someone he knew.

Mr. Potter finally turned to face him. He had a haunted expression.

'It was the Longbottoms,' he murmured. 'Aside from Augusta and her son, they are all dead.'

James felt the pit of his stomach drop to the floor.


	10. Presents and Warnings

**Presents and Warnings**

**A/N: I have set a goal of one review for this week. ONE REVIEW! Anyways the story continues…**

In the days leading up to Christmas, the Potter household was unusually somber and serious. Mr. Potter attempted to alleviate the tension by stringing up flashing lights and decorating the Christmas tree while Mrs. Potter charmed the stuffed animals to fly around the house, singing carols in high-pitched voices.

James had done nothing but mope around the house all day, and his mind constantly drifted to Frank and his family.

On Christmas Eve, Mrs. Potter cooked a delicious Turkey and they sat down to celebrate together like they always did. James prodded his share with his fork. He didn't have much of an appetite.

Mr. Potter glanced at Mrs. Potter and heaved a deep sigh. 'James,' he began firmly. 'I know that what happened to your friend is bothering you, and I'm not telling you to forget about that.' He said. 'However, I think it is important that you remember to cherish the moments you get to spend with your family.'

James thought of Frank. He had no more family to go to, except for his mother. He suddenly felt ashamed for acting so gloomy and realized his dad was right. He couldn't spend the rest of the year moping around like a lost puppy.

'Thanks dad,' he said, and he took a healthy sized bite from his turkey. Mr. Potter smiled. 'That's the spirit,' he said.

Christmas morning certainly helped to raise James' morale, which had been down in the dumps all break long. He had woken up to find a huge pile of presents under the Christmas tree and immediately set to scavenging.

He pulled out a small, inauspicious looking package. There was no name on it, so he tore it open.

Inside, was a hand-sized mirror. He wasn't sure what to do with it until he saw a letter attached to the wrapping paper. He opened it and read.

_James,_

_Merry Christmas mate, though I can't say it's been that over here… Those Quidditch gloves you got me are awesome! I can't wait to try them out later this year, though I don't think I'll be trying out for the team next year because my parents won't let me... Anyway, I'll skip the small talk. That mirror you're holding right now, I found a pair of those in an old cupboard in my house the other day. At first I thought they were utterly useless, but then I realized what they do. Try it yourself! Take your mirror and say my name into it._

_Sirius_

James held one of the mirrors up to his face. 'Sirius,' he said and a moment later, he was staring into the grinning face of his friend.

'Bloody hell!' James exclaimed, leaping up in excitement. 'Sirius, this is awesome!'

Sirius looked rather pleased with himself.

'Yeah, now we can plot more pranks while seeming less suspicious,' he said gleefully. 'And we could use them when we're in separate detentions,' James suggested with a grin.

His expression fell, 'How was your break?' he asked. Sirius grimaced, 'Not so great,' he said darkly. 'Only got worse when we got the news about Longbottom… poor bloke,' he said softly. James nodded, feeling somewhat relieved that Sirius already knew.

He had been worried that he would have to tell him the news face to face.

Sirius suddenly turned around. He turned back to James with an apologetic expression, 'Sorry mate, gotta go, that stupid mother of mine is calling for me.'

Just like that James was left staring at himself in the mirror.

He sighed and stowed the mirror carefully into his trunk. It would certainly be a useful asset in the future.

He turned his attention back to the pile of presents in front of him. When Mr. and Mrs. Potter came down stairs later, they found their son surrounded by heaps of wrapping paper and looking significantly more cheerful than he had all break.

'What did your friends get you?' Yawned Mrs. Potter as she headed to the kitchen.

Remus had, not surprisingly, gotten James several books. A few of them were about famous Quidditch players but the last one made James laugh out loud. It was called, "101 Ways to Tick off a Witch," which James decided to read later to find new ways to get under Lily Evans' skin.

Peter had gotten him a large box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans, as well as a dark-feathered quill. James didn't know what to do with Peter's quill, so he set it down on his desk.

He had searched through his whole pile of presents already, but there was no trace of a Christmas gift from Lily, something that made him slightly disappointed, although he hadn't really expected one.

Perhaps she was still angry about the enchanted bobble-head figure of himself he had sent her as a present? It had just been a joke, as he had charmed the dummy to spout out rather creative insults to the owner each morning. Personally, James had found it quite cute.

After cleaning up his mess, James went upstairs and began to pack his things. He normally would have put it off until the next day when they were due to return to Hogwarts, but the uneasy feeling he had been having all break had returned after the excitement of his new presents had worn off, and he desperately needed something to take his mind off of things.

As he tossed his robes into his trunk and slammed the lid shut, James wondered if news of the attack on Frank's family had reached the other Hogwarts students yet. He wondered if Frank would still be there, smiling cheerfully as always, when he returned to Hogwarts after break. Would he even return? James' mind was filled with endless questions and concerns. He wanted to get back to Hogwarts as soon as possible and see his friends again.

With a huge sigh, he gave up packing and tossed himself onto his bed.

James was standing with his parents at King's Cross-station the next morning. He was surprised at the minimal amount of people there.

'Some parents aren't letting their kids back into Hogwarts,' Mr. Potter said grimly. 'They reckon it isn't safe, given what happened to poor Augusta's family.'

James' jaw dropped in shock.

'Hogwarts has got Dumbledore!' he said in disbelief. 'I don't think there are many places safer than there.' He shook his head.

Mr. Potter suddenly grabbed James' shoulder and guided him to a corner where no one could see them. He glanced around, looking uncharacteristically nervous.

'Dad, what's wrong?'

James had never seen his father act this way before. Mr. Potter bit his lip. 'Listen carefully to what I'm about to say James,' he said in a serious voice.

'The attack on the Longbottoms, as well as several other muggle attacks around Christmas time, the Auror office believes they have found the perpetrators.' He said, lowering his voice significantly.

James stared at him. 'You're kidding! You mean they know who did it?' He said loudly and Mr. Potter quickly hushed him.

'Be quieter, James.' He said quickly. 'Listen, I'm telling you this for your safety.' He paused for a moment and studied James' face.

James stared right back, 'Dad tell me, please.' He said quietly.

Mr. Potter heaved a deep sigh and nodded. 'The death eater behind the murder of the Longbottoms is a man named Lucien Rankin,' he said grimly. 'We have reason to believe that he is also responsible for the murders of the Hugley and Wallace families in Northern England this past week.'

James clenched his fists at his sides.

Mr. Potter continued, looking more uncomfortable. 'James, there's something important you need to know.' He began in a hushed voice.

In the background, the hoot of the Hogwarts Express sounded, signaling the time for boarding had arrived.

'I'll make it quick then,' Mr. Potter finally seemed to make up his mind.

'I haven't spoken with the others in the office about this yet, but I- I think the reason that the Longbottoms were targeted was because their son Frank, is a friend of yours.' He said.

These words rattled James to the core.

'Dad, do you know this guy?' He asked shakily. Mr. Potter grimaced, 'We've had several… encounters before,' he said tightly. 'Lucien Rankin isn't an average death eater, we believe he may be Voldemort's right hand man.'

Many thoughts began creeping into James' mind at that moment. How did Lucien Rankin know who he was? Was it his fault that Frank's family had perished? Why did Rankin target them?

Mr. Potter moved in and clasped James' shoulder firmly. 'Listen to me James,' he said firmly. 'It isn't your fault that your friend's family was targeted. If fault can be allocated to a single individual… then I believe that person would be me.'

James boarded the Hogwarts Express still reeling over what his father had just told him.

Apparently Mr. Potter and Rankin had had quite a history of battles in the past, and Rankin was essentially his nemesis, so to speak.

In their most recent run in, which was something he hadn't told James or his mother about, Mr. Potter had seriously injured Rankin and nearly sent him to Azkaban. He had returned home that night with a black eye and a cracked rib, telling them that he had fallen down the stairs at work, James remembered.

It appeared, said Mr. Potter, that Rankin had apparently decided to get revenge on him through mental warfare first by targeting one of his son's friends and his family.

'A clever trick,' he had said bitterly.

The last thing that Mr. Potter had said to James before leaving was a rather blunt warning.

'Tread lightly, James. Stick close to Dumbledore and Professor Meriweather. You and your friends could very well be their next targets.'

James made his way down the aisle and sat down in a compartment near the back of the train.

He suddenly had the urge to tell someone what he had just been told. However, all of those thoughts were put on hold when the compartment door opened.

Dressed in his school robes and donning a serious expression, was none other than Frank Longbottom.


	11. Conversations and Surprises

**Conversations and Surprises**

'Hey Potter, how was your Christmas?' asked Frank as he took the seat across from James.

His tone was light, but James noticed that there was something different about him. His eyes had become much more serious and he no longer had that perpetually cheerful aura about him. James couldn't help but feel like a stranger had taken the seat across from him.

'It was all right, I suppose,' James answered. 'What abou-'

He mentally smacked himself across the head. He had told himself to be cautious around Frank, and yet the first thing that had blurted out of his mouth was to ask him how his break had gone?

To his surprise, Frank managed a small smile.

'You don't have to worry about me Potter,' he said quietly. James looked at him in surprise, 'Uh, I- sorry Longbottom,' he finished lamely.

The smile fell from Frank's face and he looked out the window pensively. After a few moments of silence, he said, 'I've decided to become an Auror.'

James' eyebrows shot up. 'Is it- well… is it because of what happened?' James cursed himself for being born insensitive.

Frank nodded, turning to face James with his jaw set. James suddenly felt that he wasn't looking at an 11 year-old boy anymore. The murder of his family had clearly forced Frank to mature beyond his years in a short time.

'I won't stop until I kill them,' he said calmly. 'And the first step to doing that is to get as many NEWT's as possible so I can get accepted quickly.'

James frowned. Frank was a first-year, why was he talking about NEWT's?

Just then, there came the sounds of a commotion in the aisle and James wrenched the door open and looked around. He immediately spotted two people tangled up on the floor. One of them was a boy with shaggy black hair, and he was pummeling the person underneath him as he yelled profanities.

'Oi Sirius!' James shouted as he rushed over and pulled his friend off of the boy, who clearly had a broken nose. Sirius turned to James and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. 'Good to see you mate!' He cried happily.

James laughed in spite of himself, 'I'm glad to see you too, but what have you gotten yourself into already?' He glanced at the boy on the floor, who was slowly rising to his feet.

It was Severus Snape, and he had pulled out his wand. James and Sirius did the same.

Heads began to pop out of compartments all along the train to see what was going on.

'Why hello there Snivellus,' James said tauntingly. 'Care to explain yourself?'

Snape glared daggers at him. 'Black attacked me like a bloody muggle!' He said nasally through his broken nose.

James raised an eyebrow, 'Attacked you? Personally I think he did you a huge favor, fixing that nose and all.' People around them laughed.

Snape's eyes narrowed in rage and he raised his wand, but before anybody could react it jerked out of his hand and went flying back over James and Sirius into the hands of Frank Longbottom, who had finally left the compartment.

'The use of magic on trains is forbidden, Snape,' He said coolly.

Even Snape could hear the veiled threat beneath his words so he retreated with a last venomous glare at Sirius after Frank had tossed him his wand back.

'You two shouldn't go looking for trouble before school starts you know,' Frank said turning to them, but he was smiling. 'Yes sir!' Sirius gave him a mock salute and they all returned to the compartment.

Remus and Peter arrived shortly afterwards and they all sat in the same compartment. Nobody asked Frank any questions about what had happened, but the boy did join in on a few Quidditch discussions.

The ride passed by quickly after that and before James knew it, he was back in the Great Hall being served a delicious feast. He looked around and took in the sight of the hall. It hadn't been that long since he had left, but it still felt like it had been a while.

'Looking for Evans? She's over there with Dearborn,' said Sirius through a mouthful of potatoes. James turned on him indignantly, 'Who said I was looking for Evans?'

Sirius rolled his eyes, 'You're always looking for Evans,' he said simply.

Lily was sitting a section down the table from them. She was speaking happily with Alice and James felt rather relieved to see her safe, although he did not mention this to anyone.

That night in the common room, James sat with Sirius, Remus and Peter by the fire. Frank could be seen at a table on the other side of the room, studying intently from a thick DADA textbook.

James told his friends about the warning his father had given him, and then about Frank's plans for revenge.

When he was finished they sat in silence, digesting the information. Remus looked extremely worried.

'This Rankin character sounds like bad news to me, James,' he said at last. 'Please tell me you won't go looking for trouble,' he said seriously.

James threw up his hands. 'Why are you and my dad both saying that?' He said in frustration. 'It's not like I'm going to just walk out of class one day and go looking for this guy,' he paused. 'Although I wouldn't mind getting a good lick at him now that you mention it,' he said angrily with a glance at Frank.

Sirius nodded, 'Dually noted,' he said while twirling his wand in his fingers. 'Besides, if anybody has to be on watch, its Longbottom. He's the one who was personally attacked by Rankin.' They drifted off into silence once more.

Later that night, James' thoughts were interrupted when a familiar looking owl arrived on the windowsill to his dormitory.

'Hemlin!' He exclaimed in surprise, recognizing the family owl.

He quickly let Hemlin in and noticed that the owl was carrying a rather large package. There was a note attached to it which read:

_James_

_I forgot to give this to you during Christmas. Do me a favor and make sure it's put to good use._

_Dad_

James frowned and turned to the package. It was rather large and bulky, but extremely light. He wondered what was inside.

'Go on James, open it!' Sirius said excitedly. James tore open the paper and gasped. He reached inside and held up a translucent, silvery cloak.

'No way…' he breathed in shock. Sirius looked equally as excited as James did.

Remus frowned. 'What is that?' he asked. James threw the cloak around himself and Remus yelled in shock.

Only James' head was floating around dormitory now. Peter seemed to have gone numb with fear.

'Bloody hell, that's an invisibility cloak!' Sirius cried. 'Think of all the good stuff we could do now!' His face glazed over as he dreamed of the various pranks and schemes they were now capable of with the invisibility cloak in their hands.

Remus furrowed his eyebrows. 'James, how did you get this? These things are supposed to be insanely rare…'

James grinned, 'Family heirloom,' he replied. 'I was surprised too, I had almost forgotten my dad had it.'

He took the cloak off and handed it to Remus, who tried it on and disappeared completely.

With the four of them in a slightly better mood, they agreed to keep the cloak a secret at all costs and use it to explore the castle sometime soon.

James couldn't wait to put the cloak to good use, and as he fell asleep, he decided on the perfect way to debut it.


	12. Awkwardness and Talks

**Awkwardness and Talks**

In their first week back, classes resumed as they had before break but with two noticeable differences.

The first was that Frank Longbottom made it clear that he was no longer the same bubbly kid he had been, and he had completely devoted himself to his studies.

The other difference was in Professor Meriweather, their Defense teacher.

If Meriweather had been strict before, James was not aware of a word to describe him now except _git._ He assigned nearly three rolls of parchment for homework a night, and he had begun having them do practical lessons in class more frequently.

These often involved him choosing a poor 'volunteer' before proceeding to use them as a dummy for his spells to explain the consequences of dueling without a vigilant mind.

James was one of his favorite targets and more often than not, he left Meriweather's class with a bloody nose or a sore backside.

On their first Saturday back from break, Alice Dearborn approached James at breakfast.

'Morning Potter, had a nice break?' She asked, taking the seat next to him.

James shrugged absentmindedly. 'It was all right, how about yours?' He asked. He was expecting a shrug or a, 'it was nice' back but to his surprise, Alice said neither.

'It was awful,' she said quietly. 'I- I kept thinking about Longbottom and I just couldn't bring myself to be happy for my family.' She sighed.

James set his fork down and turned in his seat so that he was facing her.

'Dearborn, are you listening?' He said firmly. Alice raised her head, looking downcast.

He chose his words carefully, 'It's normal that you're worried about Frank, I mean we all are,' he said slowly. Alice didn't look convinced so he rushed forward.

'I don't think the war was really _real _for any of us until that happened,' James continued. 'It really hit close to home for all of us,' he nodded at her questioning look.

'I had a pretty awful Christmas myself,' he said. 'My point is, we can't forget that being unhappy at a time like this is exactly what they want. It's exactly what Voldemort and his followers feed on. We can't live with our backs crushed by negativity. We've got to remain positive and remember to enjoy life,' said James. 'We're stronger when we're all happy and together; it's what gives us a fighting chance in what's coming.' He finished.

It took a moment for it to sink in, but James realized that his 'private' pep-talk had attracted quite a few listeners from the Gryffindor table.

Lily Evans was staring at him with her mouth open in amazement. Remus was smiling to himself as he read and Sirius' jaw was set with determination.

Alice was smacking her cheeks. She finally looked up and smiled at him. 'Thanks Potter,' she said gratefully. 'I feel a lot better now…'

Alice turned to go sit with Lily but hesitated for a moment and turned around. 'Hey Potter,' she called. 'Do you remember that promise you made me before break?' She asked.

James groaned as he and the others returned to the Gryffindor common room. 'I can't believe Dearborn asked me to get Longbottom to come,' he sighed. 'It's going to be impossible.'

Remus chewed on his lip thoughtfully, 'If there's anybody that can get him to loosen up and go, I think it would be you James.' He said.

James flushed slightly while Sirius patted him on the back. 'That's our James,' he said with a grin. 'Always trying to play the hero.'

Frank was seated at the exact same table he had been the night before, still studying from the massive textbook in front of him. He didn't hear them approaching him.

Remus and Sirius pushed him forward, causing him to run into the table, which made a squeaking sound.

Frank finally noticed them and looked up. 'Oh it's you guys,' he said, setting down his quill. 'How's your Saturday going for you Potter?' He asked, stretching widely.

James glanced at Remus and sat down in the seat across from Frank. 'It's going pretty well so far,' he said conversationally. 'Except for the minor fact that my bum feels like it's been squeezed into a meat grinder,' he joked, referring to Meriweather's class.

Frank laughed loudly, something he did not do very often these days and then sighed.

'I need to get back to this work, sorry for interrupting your fun.' He said, returning to his textbook.

James reached over and plucked the book from under him. He winced, 'Blimey Longbottom, this thing weighs a ton!'

He saw Frank reach out his hand expectantly and sighed. 'Look Longbottom, I've been sent here to take you outside.' He said, giving up on the small talk.

Frank raised his eyebrows. 'Who sent you? And take me outside for what?' he asked.

James reminded him off their promise to help Alice improve her broomwork and when he finished speaking, Frank averted his gaze.

'I don't think I'm up for it today,' he said quietly. 'I've got loads to do, the Transfiguration and Potions NEWTs are insane and I can't afford to miss studying time.' He said.

James stared at him, 'We promised her we'd help her though,' he said softly and Frank froze.

James took advantage and pressed on, 'She's been worried about you mate, we all have.' He said. 'And it's great that you're doing this-' he motioned to the textbook- 'but all you've done since returning to Hogwarts is prove that her worries were well founded.'

Frank looked unsure of himself. 'I-' he began awkwardly. 'I didn't think… I'm sorry I know I've been a pain recently,' he finally groaned and covered his face with his hands.

'I've just been so into it you know, the idea of getting revenge on the death eaters… I can't believe I almost forgot about you guys and Alice.'

Sirius sniggered, 'Us… _and Alice?' _He said teasingly. 'Why separate the two things? We're all friends here,' he said as Frank flushed.

Frank turned to James.

'Potter… thanks,' he said.

James held up a hand, 'No need, we're all in this together.' He grinned.

Frank studied him for a moment, 'You really are a natural at this, James.'

James was puzzled and his expression must have shown it because Frank chuckled. 'At leading, and inspiring others to actions,' he said softly.

'Thanks to you, I've regained something really important. Something Voldemort doesn't have,' he said, his eyes shining with determination.

James was embarrassed but he played it off casually. 'So you're going to be there today right?' He said, changing the subject.

Frank stood up and nodded as he stretched. 'I need some exercise,' he yawned, looking more like his old self.

James grinned, 'That's the spirit,' he said.

Frank had just left to go get his Quidditch gear when Sirius tapped James on the back.

'I think your favorite flower is here now,' he smirked, pointing behind James. James turned and saw Lily Evans standing there with her arms crossed.

'Morning Evans,' he said smoothly running a hand through his hair. Lily snorted, 'You're getting good at that,' she said with a scowl.

James grinned, 'You mean to say, my hair is becoming more attractive to you with each passing day?' He said.

To his surprise, Lily didn't respond but appraised him coolly.

James let his hand fall to his side. 'What's up with you?' He asked.

Lily cleared her throat loudly. 'I just wanted to say, that what you did just now was _actually _very nice, Potter.' She said tightly.

James couldn't believe his ears.

'Was that a compliment I just heard?' He gasped. Lily rolled her eyes as Sirius guffawed from behind James.

'Yes Potter, I suppose it was a compliment.'

She looked away from his beaming eyes. 'Alice will be grateful,' she said. 'What you said this morning was impressive as well,' she added softly.

James pulled Lily into a big hug, causing her to cry out in shock and rage.

'I-WHAT- get OFF me Potter!' She yelled.

'You just complimented me, twice!' James cried, wiping away fake tears of happiness. 'What's gotten into you Evans?'

Lily pushed herself away from James roughly, seething.

'Just when I think that _maybe_ you're not all that bad, you go and prove me wrong,' she steamed.

She turned to leave, 'Oh, and don't think I don't know about how you two attacked Severus on the train,' she added viciously, and then she was gone.

James turned to Sirius incredulously. 'Snivellus framed us!' He cried. 'Well, you were involved but I was just an innocent bystander this time!' He threw himself onto the couch and groaned.

Why didn't anything ever end smoothly with Lily? He thought.

It might have been his imagination, but he could have sworn that Lily had smiled at him when she had complimented him.

'I think I could get used to that,' he whispered.


	13. Advice and Scuffles

**Advice and Scuffles**

James hoisted himself onto his Nimbus and kicked off into the cool morning air. As usual, flying made him forget about all his worries. He flew a few quick warm up laps before he spotted Alice arriving in the pitch with her broomstick in tow.

'Hello again Dearborn,' he said, landing on the ground beside her.

'Yeah,' she said absentmindedly. James noticed she was looking around the pitch as though searching for someone. Then she shook her head and kicked off the ground.

James followed her and they both flew around some more before Alice once again came to a halt in midair, leaning on her broom to look over the stadium towards the castle.

James smiled to himself.

'Looking for someone, Dearborn?' He asked innocently.

Alice blinked. 'Huh? Oh, what are you talking about Potter, I uh, was just wondering if Longbottom…' she trailed off.

James sighed dramatically.

'I'm sorry,' he said, rather enjoying himself. 'Longbottom said he might not be able to come today.'

'Oh.'

Alice looked sadly back at the castle before sighing and turning to James again. 'Well, we mind as well get started then,' she said glumly.

'Getting started without me?' Called a voice from underneath them. Alice nearly fell off her broom again in shock.

Frank had just arrived in the pitch with his broom resting on his shoulder. He waved at them with a smile on his face.

Alice stared at him, and then rounded on James.

'You little sneak!' she cried, but she was grinning from ear to ear. James chuckled, 'I said maybe,' he winked.

After Frank had warmed up as well, they hovered in mid air to discuss what exactly Alice's problem was.

They all knew that Alice was extremely light and quick on her broom, the perfect qualities for a seeker. However, James had noticed that whenever she needed to fly faster, she tended to sit a little too straight, which in certain situations made it more likely for her to lose her balance. It also prevented her from maneuvering as quickly as she was capable of.

As Alice flew a test lap for them, James pointed this out to Frank, who agreed.

'She's definitely good though,' said Frank. 'Loads better than I was when I first started.' James nodded. 'Let's see how she does when she sticks close to her broom then,' he suggested.

Alice flew back over to them and Frank relayed what they had just thought of to her. She nodded, looking determined. 'Stay low, stick close to your broom…' she muttered to herself.

'Right, I'm ready to give it a try,' she said and flew a little higher. James tossed Frank a quaffle. 'Just throw it when she's ready,' he called.

The idea behind the exercise was to see if Alice could catch up to the quaffle without losing her balance. Frank would be tossing it in the opposite direction of where she was taking off from, which would force Alice to make a sudden halt in midair before testing her speed and control. It was Mr. Potter who had shown this drill to James when he had been a beginner.

'Ready Dearborn?' James shouted. Alice waved her hand. 'Right, your turn Longbottom,' he said.

Frank pulled his arm back as Alice began flying to her left, then he flung the quaffle with all his might to her right.

She had clearly not been expecting that, and as she tried to turn in midair, she lost her balance and had to grab onto her broom for support.

'Maybe that was a bit too much?' Frank said nervously.

James shook his head, 'Nah she'll be fine, look.' He said.

Alice was ready for the next throw. She took off to her right this time while Frank chucked the quaffle hard to her left.

This time, Alice pulled off a nice 180-degree turn in midair and for a moment James thought she was going to catch the quaffle. As she sped towards the ball however, Alice suddenly reverted to her habit of sitting up on her broomstick and slowed down significantly.

The quaffle began to fall from the air and landed with a thud down below.

Alice groaned. 'This is really difficult,' she muttered.

They continued practicing like that until evening when the sun had turned a bright shade of red. Alice had improved a lot in that time, but they agreed to meet again the next weekend for more practice.

As they trudged to the locker rooms, Alice thanked them profusely.

'I really appreciate this you two,' she said with a grateful smile. 'I've always wanted to play seeker, but I could never control my speed you know. I'm hoping this will help me improve enough to make the team next year,' she said bashfully.

While Frank offered her more words of encouragement, something caught James' eye. There was a group of Slytherin first-years hanging out around the Quidditch shed.

Upon closer inspection, James realized they had their wands out and were reaching into the trunk of balls.

'OI! What do you think you're doing!' He said loudly. Frank and Alice turned.

The group of Slytherins jumped at his voice, and whirled around with their wands pointed at them. It was Avery, Mulciber, Nott and-

James grit his teeth. 'Snivellus.' He growled.

'Messing with the Quidditch balls are we? Don't think your house can beat ours in a match fair and square, so you hoped for some people to get injured in practice did you?' He drew his wand.

Snape stepped forward with a smirk. 'What of it, Potter?' He said tauntingly. 'Looks like you don't have your two bodyguards with you this time,' he sneered.

James raised his wand as well. 'Yeah, Sirius is on a date with your mother,' he retorted.

'Potter don't!' Alice said, grabbing his arm. 'Let's just go back to the castle now,' she pleaded, looking at Frank for assistance.

Frank looked torn.

James assumed that part of him badly wanted to get in a fight with some Slytherins, while his other half was more worried about Alice's safety. He finally seemed to decide.

'I'll be back soon James,' he said.

However, the moment he said that, there was a loud bang and Alice was covered in thick green slime. She looked livid.

'Avery, I'm going to curse you so hard you'll go running back to your parents,' she growled.

After that chaos erupted.

Frank, no longer hesitant once Alice had been attacked, had begun dueling with both Mulciber and Nott at the same time. His extensive studies were clearly manifesting themselves in battle, and James wondered how he could fight two people without breaking a sweat. Alice had rushed straight at Avery and they were now engaged in a duel as well.

James found himself face to face with Snape. 'Looks like it's just you and me, Potter,' snarled Snape.

James spit on the ground between them. 'You're gonna pay Snivellus,' he jabbed his wand at him and yelled, '_densaugeo!' _

Snape reacted quicker than James had thought he would and ducked, sending a curse flying at James as he rolled on the floor. James' reflexes helped him out here. He dodged just in the nick of time and turned to see a tree branch being severed from its body.

'What the bloody hell was that?' He muttered.

Snape was certainly not messing around. 'Guess I'd better get serious,' he thought and began sending hex after hex at Snape.

Snape's face twisted with glee as he blocked all of James' spells. 'What's the matter Potter? Not so tough when it comes down to it are you?' He taunted.

James grit his teeth angrily. Snape was really starting to piss him off. He dodged yet another curse from Snape's wand, and yelled, '_petrificus totalus!' _

It looked like Snape was going to dodge again, but he bumped into Frank, who backed into him and the curse hit its mark. Snape keeled over, stiff as a board.

James looked up and saw that Frank had easily dispatched Mulciber and Nott. Alice and Avery however, were still in the middle of a heated exchange.

Although Alice was very quick with her spells, she clearly did not have as much knowledge about them as Avery did and he was starting to gain an advantage on her.

'Alice!' yelled Frank as he began running over with his wand raised.

It turned out that Alice didn't need his help however, as the next moment she had kicked Avery right between the legs, sending him buckling to the ground in pain. She pointed her wand at his prone form and with a mean smile, proceeded to fire a succession of hexes at him. When she was finished, he looked like a giant squashed bug.

Frank picked up the Slytherin's wands. 'Good job you two,' he said with a grin. 'Dearborn, that was an impressive kick,' he added.

Alice smiled sweetly at him. 'Thank you, Frank.' She said. Frank blushed.

'And so Gryffindor tramples all over Slytherin once again,' James said in a mock dramatic voice and they all laughed.

That laughter was short-lived however, as someone suddenly screamed from up ahead, 'WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!'

James looked up and groaned. It was Lily.

James watched as her eyes scanned the scene in front of her, moving from the stiff figures of Snape and his gang to James, Frank and Alice who all looked rather unharmed. Her eyes narrowed.

Alice stepped forward nervously, 'Wait Lily, this isn't what it-'

'Alice I didn't think you would also be in on this bullying!' snapped Lily. Alice looked rather offended.

James held up a hand in an attempt to negotiate. 'Evans, you don't know the full story here,' he said calmly.

Lily rounded on him, her eyes blazing.

'Oh I don't?' she whispered dangerously. 'Then can you explain to me Potter, why every time I see you and Sev together, he is always on the floor looking like a car ran over him?'

'A what?' snapped James, growing impatient.

Frank chuckled at that, but was silenced with a glare from Lily.

Alice rolled her eyes. 'All right, all right Lily… You win, we're sorry okay?' she said lazily. Lily looked like she wanted to say more but instead walked over to Snape.

'_Finite,' _she said and Snape leapt to his feet.

'They attacked us!' He shouted, pointing a shaking finger at James. 'I swear Lily, we were just trying to get some ball from the closet,' he said.

It revolted James to see Snape beg like a puppy in front of Lily. For some reason his insides clenched with anger at the sight.

'Let me explain Evans,' he said evenly. Lily ignored him and headed back to the castle with Snape, who shot him a triumphant sneer as he left.

Alice looked at him sympathetically. 'I'll speak with her later,' she said bracingly. 'I'll knock some sense into her one of these days.'

James shrugged, feeling rather miffed that he hadn't even been given a chance to explain himself. 'I don't really care either way,' he grumbled.

Frank laughed as Alice smirked, 'that's a lie James Potter and you know it.'


	14. Remus' Secret

**Remus' Secret**

Lily treated James with startling coldness in the days following their fight with Snape and his cronies. She had never been friendly towards him before, but now she was downright steely.

James kept trying to corner her after class to explain to her that it hadn't been his fault but Snape's, but she always found a way to escape, leaving him staring after her in immense frustration.

He eventually gave up on explaining himself to her and turned his attention towards a more pressing issue.

Remus' mother was sick once again, and he was leaving that Tuesday night to go see her. James had kept his suspicions to himself, but this time he was determined to find out what Remus was hiding from them.

When he explained this idea to the others, he was met with mixed feelings. 'Won't he be angry at us if we pry?' Peter said nervously. James had been expecting that but he didn't really know how to respond.

'Oh come on Peter,' said Sirius. 'Don't you want to know where he goes every month?' Glad that at least Sirius was for it, James finally spoke.

'If we know where he goes every month, then maybe we can find a way to help him out,' he suggested.

Peter still didn't look convinced, 'What if we get caught? Remus wouldn't be happy if we followed him…' He said.

James grinned and pulled out his invisibility cloak. Peter's eyes widened. 'Not if we can't be seen we won't,' he said with a wink.

On Tuesday night, James Sirius and Peter waited until the common room was nearly empty before covering themselves in the cloak and waiting in a corner. The clock had just struck eleven when they saw Remus coming down the stairs.

James made to follow him when Sirius grabbed his arm suddenly and pulled him down. 'McGonagall,' he hissed.

Professor McGonagall had just entered the common room. Remus walked over to her and they exchanged a few words. She gestured to the portrait hole and they made their way out of the common room.

'Let's go,' James whispered.

They tiptoed passed the portrait before it closed shut, and followed the pair walking up ahead. They made sure to keep their distance, as McGonagall kept glancing around suspiciously. Remus didn't seem to suspect anything.

Eventually, they arrived at the front door. Madame Pomfrey was waiting for them with a lantern.

James watched as they spoke and he furrowed his eyebrows. Were they going to leave the school? And why leave with Madame Pomfrey, surely one teacher was enough to escort Remus to the station?

Madame Pomfrey finished speaking and opened the front door with her wand. James motioned to Sirius and Peter to hurry and they followed them outside into the warm night air.

They walked in silence. The only sound that punctuated the air was from the crickets chirping around them.

James realized that they were heading in the opposite direction from Hogsmeade station. He exchanged puzzled glances with Sirius and Peter.

Before they knew it, they were standing in front of a massive, knotted tree with branches that swung around dangerously.

'The whomping willow,' gasped Peter. They hushed him and moved in closer to hear what the group ahead was saying.

'Thank you Professor, Madame Pomfrey,' said Remus. James noticed that both teachers had expressions of sadness on their faces.

'Good luck Remus,' whispered Pomfrey. 'I'll see you in the morning then,' and with that she and Professor McGonagall turned and strode back to the castle- and almost collided with James, Sirius and Peter as they went.

James jumped back wildly to avoid grazing her. In doing so he bumped into Sirius, who bumped into Peter and they keeled over and fell in turn like three dominos.

The cloak fell off of them, revealing their startled and guilty faces. Remus was staring at them in shock.

'Re-' James began, but his mouth was quickly slapped shut by Remus' hand.

'Shhh, don't let them hear you,' he hissed.

As soon as McGonagall had left, Remus rounded on them, his eyes blazing with startling ferocity.

'What in the name of Merlin are you three doing here?' He growled. James was shocked at his normally gentle friend's words.

'We were just curious,' he began. 'We know your mum doesn't have spattergroit.' Remus closed his eyes as if praying for patience. When he opened them again, he spoke calmly again.

'Look, I appreciate your concern, I really do... but please just get out of here now!' He said seriously.

'Why do you need to come to the whomping willow?' asked Sirius, ignoring Remus.

Remus turned to him, 'I'll explain it tommorow,' he said softly. 'But please, just go now before I- you'll get hurt if you don't,' he said in a strangled whisper.

Sirius laughed, 'C'mon Remus you'd never hurt your friends,' he said.

Remus lost his cool and began yelling. 'YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND SIRIUS! IT'S DANGEROUS!'

Sirius jumped in shock and stared at Remus as if seeing him for the first time. Remus was panting heavily.

James sighed, 'You heard him,' he said to the other two. 'Let's head back to sleep.'

Sirius looked at him incredulously, 'You can't be serious James!' He said, astounded.

Remus and Peter both looked visibly relieved. 'Thank you James, for understanding.' Remus said with a sigh.

James turned to him, his glasses reflecting the moonlight.

'We'll leave if you promise to tell us where you go every month when you come back,' he said firmly.

They were all silent. Remus' mouth opened and closed several times before he heaved a deep sigh and nodded, looking like he was undergoing a form of torture.

'…All right,' he said finally. 'If you leave now, and promise never to come follow me ever again… I will tell you tommorow,' he said sadly.

He disappeared into a hole in the whomping willow and James motioned Sirius and Peter to follow him. They walked in silence, each absorbed in their own thoughts.

When they finally reached the front doors, James turned to his friends.

'I think Remus is a werewolf,' he breathed, letting out all of his pent up shock.

The full moon loomed over the three boys as they stared at one another.


	15. Kitchens and Marauders

**Kitchens and Marauders**

'I'm not tired anymore,' muttered Sirius. James couldn't help but agree with him. After realizing where Remus went every month, he doubted he would be able to sleep a wink that night.

Sirius and Peter both looked as if someone they knew had just died. James sighed,

'C'mon,' he said with a small grin. 'If none of us are tired, we should go explore the castle,' he suggested.

Sirius' face immediately lit up and Peter nodded excitedly. They decided to start on the ground floor and move up as they went.

Under the protection of the invisibility cloak, the three boys roamed the floor for about half an hour. They found a lot of empty classrooms, irritating portraits and plenty suits of armor.

James stomach began to grumble loudly with all of their exploring. He turned to Sirius, 'Say, how about a trip to the kitchens?' He suggested.

Sirius' face lit up, 'Yeah I'm famished!' He whispered excitedly, but then his face fell. 'We don't know where the kitchens are,' He realized with a glum look.

James grinned, 'only one way to find out,' he said and they resumed their exploration.

A while later, they found themselves near the Hufflepuff common room. They hadn't had any success in finding the elusive kitchens yet.

Sirius' stomach growled with hunger and he groaned. 'Maybe it's not on this floor,' he said.

James shook his head with a smile and pointed ahead. On the wall ahead of them hung a rather large but plain looking portrait of a few pieces of fruit.

Sirius and Peter glanced at each other and looked gave James blank stares. 'What?' asked Sirius grumpily.

'The kitchens,' said James happily. 'I believe we've found it.' Sirius looked confused so James explained.

'My dad used to go there all the time, but he wouldn't tell me where it was,' he said.

'He only told me to 'tickle the pear' before I came to Hogwarts. And look right there,' he said pointing at the pear in the frame.

Sirius looked excited again. 'Let's try it,' he said and they rushed over to the portrait, throwing off the invisibility cloak as they did so.

James reached up and placed his hand on the green pear in the portrait. He moved his fingers up and down as if he was tickling it, and to their glee the pear began to squirm.

The portrait suddenly swung open and James' nose was met with the most delicious combination of aromas he had ever experienced in his life.

A small house elf popped out of the portrait and guided them in cheerfully. 'Welcome sirs!' he squeaked. 'What can Baggy do for you?'

James turned to the others and saw that they had on equally astonished expressions. Sirius' jaw was on the floor by now, as they were met by what seemed like hundreds of house elves, clambering around and preparing food for them.

A minute later, James was seated with a giant piece of roast ham in front of him. Sirius had surrounded himself with cakes and tarts and Peter ate a smaller chicken sandwich.

'This is amazing,' Sirius exclaimed happily through stuffed cheeks. 'We've got to come here more often.' He said.

James couldn't help but agree. 'The food was served fresh, and somewhat reminded him of Mrs. Potter's homemade cooking.

When he had finished his ham, James fell back in his chair and heaved a sigh of content. Sirius burped rather loudly from his side and Peter was still nibbling on his sandwich.

'That hit the spot,' said Sirius. 'Next time, we'll take Remus here.'

They fell into silence once again as their minds dwelled on Remus and how he would act the following day.

'Let's call it a night,' suggested James and the other two agreed.

The next morning, James Sirius and Peter tried to go see Remus in the hospital wing. However, Madame Pomfrey kicked them out and told them to come back in the evening for Remus was still sleeping.

When they returned after dinner, they found that Madame Pomfrey was not there and they tiptoed into the room.

Remus was lying in a bed on the far left, and he managed a weak smile when they sat down next to him. James noticed with a tightening sensation in his chest, that there was a long scar on Remus' cheek, although Madame Pomfrey had fixed most of it up.

He looked like he hadn't slept in days.

Peter pulled out some sweets he had taken from the kitchens and placed them on Remus' bedside table.

'How are you feeling Remus?' James asked. Remus' smile disappeared. 'Not so good,' he muttered, and flipped around so that his back was facing them.

James exchanged looks with Sirius and Peter before speaking.

'Remus, we know,' he said softly. Remus didn't respond. James pressed on.

'We know you're a werewolf,' he said. Remus had begun to shake. James thought he might be crying so he patted him on the back.

Remus turned around with tears in his eyes. He looked weaker and more lost than James had ever seen him.

'Well, say it then,' choked Remus. 'Say that you can't be my friend anymore.'

James stared at him blankly.

'Remus what are you talking about?' He said finally after a long pause. 'We don't care if you're a werewolf, you're still our friend.'

Remus looked up at him in shock. 'But I'm a monster,' he whispered. Sirius grabbed one of Peter's candies and threw it at Remus.

'Stop being an insufferable prat this moment Remus Lupin!' He said in a rather good impersonation of Lily grilling James.

Remus sat up in his bed with a groan. James handed him a cup of water, which he took gratefully.

'You aren't scared of me?' He said once again, staring at James. James shook his head.

'Nope, and we'll keep your secret for you as long as we're friends.' He said firmly.

Remus finally smiled. 'Thanks James,' he whispered. He turned to Sirius and Peter. 'I really appreciate this you guys,' he choked.

Sirius rolled his eyes while Peter looked immensely relieved.

James grinned suddenly, 'We need a group name,' he said. 'Something we can use to scare off Slytherins, and protect Moony over here's secret.'

Remus frowned, '_Moony?' _he said indignantly.

Sirius clapped a fist to his hand, 'How about the 'Slytherins are all Bloody Gits Brigade, SBG for short?' he suggested. James threw another piece of candy at him playfully.

'Sirius that's terrible,' he groaned. Sirius shrugged, 'Well what have you got then?' he asked.

James turned to Remus. 'How about the Marauders?' he suggested after a moment. 'It's synonymous with pranksters and pillagers,' he explained.

For a moment they all digested the idea, then they broke into grins and high-fived each other.

'That's perfect James!' cried Sirius, pulling him into a one-armed embrace. 'Soon everyone in the school will know our names!' He said in excitement.

Remus was laughing as well; he looked much more cheerful than James had ever seen him and he couldn't hold back a smile at the sight.

'The Marauders,' he whispered to himself and grinned. 'I like it.'

In their jubilation, none of them noticed one of the portraits in the room smiling darkly before leaving its frame.

'_The Marauders, eh?' _He sneered.


	16. Maps and Peace

**Maps and Peace**

Knowing that his friends hadn't decided to abandon him upon learning his secret seemed to do Remus a world of good.

He was now more talkative than ever and even the outside observer could tell that something had changed within the group. If possible, they were even closer than before, and the number of pranks they pulled in the following months reflected their good moods.

Not everyone was pleased by their public displays however. Lily had taken to glowering at James every time they crossed paths, and he couldn't help but feel that her complimenting him had been nothing but a dream.

In spite of that particular downer, James was still in a rather cheery mood entering May.

The newly founded Marauders had been exploring the castle under James' invisibility cloak on a nightly basis, and though they tended to sleep through their first few classes each day, they felt the pay off would be well worth it.

Eventually on one such night however, they encountered some unexpected trouble in the form of Severus Snape.

James and the others had been on their way to the kitchens for a late night snack before their usual explorations when Remus suddenly elbowed him in the gut and dragged them behind a suit of armor.

Snape was pacing back and forth in the entrance hall, a scowl etched on his face.

'Ouch Moony, you know he can't see us,' James mumbled, rubbing his side.

Remus shushed him and peeked out at Snape nervously.

Snape seemed to be expecting something, or someone.

Every few minutes, he would stop walking and look around. He even checked behind the front doors once.

'What's he doing?' Sirius whispered rather loudly, leaning over James to see. 'Sirius _get back!'_ James muttered, shoving him down. 'He'll hear you!'

As if on cue, Snape whirled around and stared right at them from where they hid behind the suit of armor. They held their breaths.

After a tense moment, Snape seemed satisfied that no one was there and turned and stalked off.

Peter let out a relieved sigh, 'We almost got caught,' he said.

Remus looked rather pale, 'We should head back for tonight,' he suggested.

Sirius looked like he wanted to protest but Remus cut him off, 'Severus could still be around here somewhere, we don't want to risk him finding us out this late,' he said.

As much as he hated it, James had to agree.

Sirius growled, 'That bloody git's trying to catch us isn't he?' He said angrily. 'What a prick, always trying to get us into trouble!'

James frowned. It certainly was troublesome to have someone suspect them of wandering the castle after curfew. Worse, it was Severus Snape of all people, and James knew he would stop at nothing to get him in deep trouble.

'We need to find a way of not getting caught in the future,' he said thoughtfully as they tiptoed into the common room.

Sirius shook off the cloak. 'We're already invisible, what else do we need?' He asked. They all glanced at James, who shrugged and sat down on the couch.

'I think we need a detector of some sort, something that'll less us know whenever a prefect or Snivellus is patrolling nearby,' he said after a moment.

Peter looked confused but a look of understanding dawned on Remus' face. 'Something like a map,' he said.

Sirius didn't look convinced. 'What's a ruddy map going to help us out with?' He said, rolling his eyes. 'It really wouldn't do much unless-'

He paused as a thought struck him. He turned to James, his eyes wide. 'Unless we could charm it to reveal the positions of everyone in the castle,' he breathed. James nodded slowly.

'That's incredibly advanced magic though,' sighed Remus. James shot him a cocky grin, 'Are you doubting my abilities Moony?' He quipped.

Remus rolled his eyes, 'I'm serious, I don't even think our charms book covers that particular spell,' he said. 'And besides, Hogwarts is an enormous place, how would we simply make a map of it?' He added as an afterthought.

Sirius chortled, 'If it would allow James access to his favorite Gryffindor's whereabouts at any time of day, I'm sure he'd do whatever it takes,' he snickered.

James ignored Sirius and frowned. What Remus had brought up certainly was a problem. 'I suppose we'll just have to add to it as we find more places,' he suggested.

Sirius clapped his hands together, 'We should get started soon then,' he said eagerly. 'I'll check in the seventh year charms book.'

Remus shook his head. 'First of all, you wouldn't find it there, it's far more complicated than that,' he said. 'Second, I think it's best if we call it a night. Professor McGonagall won't be pleased if you fall asleep in her class again.'

The next few weeks passed by in a blur. The weather became hotter and the homework load piled up as exams approached.

The only people who didn't seem stressed out were James and Sirius, who claimed that homework was beneath them.

Remus was also fast approaching his 'time of month' and his mood had become a tad sour whenever he spotted his two friends slacking off or playing a prank on someone.

'Really!' He exploded one evening in the common room. 'I just don't get how you two can be so relaxed, we've got exams in a month you know,' he threw up his hands in frustration.

'Relax Moony,' James said easily as he lay on the floor next to the fire. 'Sirius and I already know everything for the exams.'

Before Remus could retort, Frank and Alice joined them, Alice complaining loudly about the homework load and Frank staring at her as she spoke.

Sirius and Peter could be heard yelling in the background over their game of wizard's chess.

James closed his eyes and drowned out Remus' tongue-lashing.

For a moment, the world seemed to be at peace. No death eaters in their right minds would attack Hogwarts, he thought with a smile. At least for now, everything was the way it should be for the eleven and twelve year old students.

His peaceful meditation was abruptly shattered when Lily Evans stormed into the common room in a huff, the door banging loudly behind her. Disgruntled, James opened his eyes and caught sight of her fiery red hair.

Alice looked at her in alarm, 'Lily what happened?' She asked.

Lily glared at her in response, earning a pair of raised eyebrows.

'Sorry,' she muttered after a moment. 'I'm just in a bad mood.'

James sat up and leaned against the couch. 'Is it because of Snape?' He asked coolly.

Lily turned to face him, her lips pursed in a straight line. 'What makes you say that, Potter?' She scowled.

James shrugged nonchalantly, 'I don't know, he always seems to be the cause of your bad mood swings,' he said.

Lily's mouth worked soundlessly for a moment before she said softly, 'It's none of your business,' and stormed out of the common room once more.

Remus closed his book and turned to James with a face like Professor McGonagall's when a detention was imminent.

James held up a hand, 'Stuff it Moony, I know,' he grumbled. 'I just don't get why she has to be friends with that bum.'

Alice eyed him with a funny expression on her face, one James was having a hard time discerning.

'You should go after her Potter,' she said. 'Apologize before she hates you even more.'

James stretched and heaved a heavy sigh. 'No, I think I'll just increase her urge to shove me in a pencil sharpener,' he muttered and they all laughed.

'Seriously though,' James thought to himself. 'When was she going to see that her friend was a slimy git?'


	17. Changes and Confrontations

**Changes and Confrontations**

**A/N: Thank you biancawho, my first reviewer! I'm glad you enjoy this and I hope you stick with me because second year is coming really soon! I promise they'll get better as they get older but for now, I'm just trying to set the stage really. And yes, I'm sorry I had to do that to Frank but it will shape who he becomes later in the series so stay tuned!**

James never did go after Lily, and she returned later that evening as though nothing had happened. He had approached her cautiously and greeted her, but was met with her usual scowl and glare.

The Gryffindors had been in a relatively somber mood as of late. One reason was that they had lost pathetically to the Slytherins in their last Quidditch match of the season, and were now out of the running for the cup.

The other reason for their bad moods was the fact that Professor Meriweather had developed a nasty habit of picking on students from their house in his lessons. James had always been one of his favorite dummies for practical lessons on spells, but he was no longer alone in dealing with this treatment.

Sirius, Remus, Peter, Frank and even Alice had begun returning from his classes sporting bruised arms and legs.

'Bloody git,' Sirius was growling one day after a particularly bad lesson. 'He never calls on the Slytherins.'

'It's like we're just there to be his practice toys,' agreed Frank. 'We haven't learned anything useful all term.'

'Maybe you could teach us Frank?' suggested Remus. 'We all know you've already learned all of the material,' he added to Frank's embarrassment.

James clapped him on the back, 'Come one, you know you'd be loads better than Meriweather at teaching,' he said. 'At least we'd learn something useful every now and then.'

They made their way out of the entrance hall and into the courtyard.

It was a beautiful day outside; the whomping willow continued to bat at low flying birds and there were students playing by the lake or reading in the shade of the trees along the grass.

James Sirius Remus and Peter took their usual spot in the shade of a large willow tree along the lake. Frank and Alice, who were still discussing Meriweather's class, joined them.

James reached into his pocket and pulled out his extracurricular project, the map. With Remus' talent for charms and James and Sirius' knowledge of the school, they had managed to create a rough sketch of Hogwarts, though they knew they were still far from finished.

Remus had yet to find the spell they were looking for, which would allow the map to detect all the people who set foot on school grounds.

They were discussing this issue when Frank and Alice peeked over their shoulders curiously.

James immediately covered the map from view. 'What is that Potter?' Alice asked suspiciously. 'You wouldn't be planning a prank now would you?' She asked.

James ruffled his hair absentmindedly, 'We're just working on an extracurricular assignment,' he said smoothly.

'For what class?' asked Frank, ignoring the pointed looks he got from Sirius and Peter.

'Transfiguration,' replied James without missing a beat. 'McGonagall said she'd give us extra points if we did a little project for her.'

Frank didn't ask anything more and Alice, although still skeptical of their intentions, laid off of them for the moment.

It was at that moment that James noticed a small commotion up ahead.

A group of Slytherins including Mulciber, Avery and Rosier were terrorizing a Ravenclaw first-year.

Mulciber had the boy up by his arms, while Avery and Rosier were throwing his books into the lake. The poor boy was struggling but the larger Mulciber was too strong for him and he eventually gave up and sagged pitifully, his feet dangling.

There was a bang and Mulciber suddenly dropped the boy, holding his hand in pain.

'Why don't you pick on someone your own size Mulciber,' said Frank coldly as he raised his wand again.

Mulciber met his gaze and sneered. 'You want some too Longbottom?'

'Shut up Mulciber,' snarled Sirius, who had joined James and also had his wand out.

'You going to make me Black?' He taunted. 'Bet you wouldn't come at me without your three sidekicks here.'

Mulciber's eyes widened in surprise when Sirius leapt forward and knocked the larger boy to the floor, raining on him with his fists.

James saw Rosier point his wand at Sirius and yelled, '_impedimenta!'_ and Rosier fell to the floor.

Avery was about to retaliate when someone in the background shouted, '_What is going on here_?!'

James whipped around and found himself face to face with Professor Meriweather. He did not look pleased. With a flick of his wand, Sirius was wrenched off of Mulciber and levitated slowly next to James.

'What is the meaning of this?' He demanded, his dark eyes boring into James'.

'We were, uh, just having some fun,' James said lamely.

Meriweather's eyes narrowed. 'I want an explanation from you Potter, why were you picking a fight with these boys?'

James felt indignation come to his defense. Why was Meriweather singling him out anyway?

'Mulciber and his buddies were bullying him,' he said pointing at the Ravenclaw first-year who was busy levitating his books out of the lake. 'We couldn't just leave and say nothing,' he said, hoping Meriweather would understand.

Professor Meriweather turned to Rosier. 'Is this true, Evan?' He asked coolly.

Rosier exchanged looks with Mulciber and Avery before snorting with laughter.

Meriweather frowned. 'Is there something amusing?' He asked.

Mulciber placed himself in front of Meriweather and grinned nastily. 'We don't have to explain ourselves to a coward.' He sneered.

James glanced at Sirius and Frank, whose surprised expressions mirrored his own. Mulciber was crazy for sure, but why was he calling a teacher a coward to his face?

Professor Meriweather's face had gone pale and he raised his voice in anger, 'You wouldn't dare Mul-'

He took a step back as Mulciber howled with maniacal laughter, causing people around them to stop and stare.

'We know who you are _Professor,'_ he said finally, smirking at Avery and Rosier. 'We know about how you were _begging _him not to hurt-'

He was cut off when a red light burst from Meriweather's wand and knocked him back a few feet.

James Sirius and Frank stared at him in shock. Did Meriweather just attack a student?

The man in question was breathing heavily, and his eyes gleamed in a way James had never seen them before. He looked rather demented.

'_Don't you dare…!' _He whispered. 'There are _people _here, and you don't even understand what you're saying,' he snarled, looking around frantically.

Mulciber's grinned even more, 'I think you're the one who doesn't understand _sir,' _he said. 'But you will soon.'

Mulciber nodded to Avery and Rosier, and they left, leaving Meriweather standing by the tree with James Sirius and Frank.

James finally managed to close his mouth. 'Professor?' He said cautiously, not knowing how he would react.

Meriweather looked up at James, and James finally realized what had seemed different about him for the past few months.

It was like looking at another man, not the firm, strict teacher he had grown accustomed to getting detentions from over the year.

Meriweather was shaking and he struggled to keep his voice level as he spoke.

'Off to the common room with you, Potter,' he said, brushing his hair aside absentmindedly. 'I'll let you off this time with a warning.'

He turned and hurried back to the castle, passing by Alice as she was making her way back with Hagrid in tow.

James turned to Sirius and Frank, both of whom still looked quite shocked at what had just transpired.

'I wonder what's going on in the Slytherin common room these days?' James said, voicing their thoughts.

Nobody answered.


	18. Progress and Talks

**Progress and Talks**

Alice's mouth dropped open in shock after they explained what she had missed to her. After digesting the information, she seemed to share James' opinion that the Slytherins must be in on something dark enough that it would frighten Meriweather.

James couldn't seem to get Meriweather's ashen face out of his mind, and decided to call it a night early.

Unfortunately, it just so happened that they had Defense against the Dark Arts first thing the next morning.

The marauders took their usual place in the back of the class, and saw Frank and Alice take a seat in the front near Lily.

After a minute, Meriweather appeared at his desk holding his wand. James noticed that his eyes twitched towards the Slytherins in the room every now and then. Mulciber kept shooting him nasty smiles.

The lesson got off to an inauspicious start, as Meriweather presented them with two new offensive spells. He then told them to pair off and practice on each other.

Lily raised her hand. 'Um, Professor Meriweather?' Meriweather turned to her slowly.

'Would you mind explaining the second spell again? I didn't quite understand it,' she asked.

'In the real world, Evans, you would not have time to ask someone about a spell. You need to learn to react to it if you want to improve your chances of survival,' he snapped.

A moment later, Lily raised her hand again, this time to ask if he would be her partner, as she had no one else to partner with.

To everyone's shock, Meriweather slammed a hand on the table, causing Lily to jump out of her seat in fright.

'How many times are you going to bother me with meaningless questions Evans,' he snarled. Lily looked rather frightened, 'I-I'm so sorry sir,' she whispered, her eyes becoming bright.

James felt anger burn inside him. 'That's not fair Professor,' he said loudly.

Meriweather turned his attention to James now, looking more and more livid. 'First Evans and now you, Potter- what is it about my instructions that you fail to understand?' He said viciously.

'Nothing,' James replied firmly. 'But you should apologize to Evans.'

The air seemed to drain from the room at James' words. Nobody spoke for a few moments. Meriweather stared at James, his eyes bulging out of his face.

'See me after class, Potter…' he said finally. 'And you can forget about taking part in today's lesson,' he added.

'Well I'm not missing much,' James snapped, ignoring Remus' frantic gestures to stop.

Meriweather whirled around. 'FIFTY POINTS FROM GRYFFINDOR!' He roared. James jaw dropped in shock.

'_Fifty points?! _What for?' Sirius shouted indignantly.

Meriweather rounded on him, 'You will join Potter for detention, Mr. Black.' He said in a threatening tone. 'Unless you want more points to be taken, I suggest you quiet down and remain obedient for the rest of class,' he snarled.

James sat down angrily. He proceeded to spend the rest of class picturing Meriweather getting his head bitten off by one of Hagrid's blast ended skrewts, or even better, being strangled then drowned by the giant squid.

He noted with a touch of sympathy that Lily was sitting with her head in her arms at her table.

Alice was patting her on the back comfortingly, while occasionally shooting Meriweather death glares from across the room.

'Something's bothering him,' James said suddenly. Sirius snorted, 'Yeah, maybe he finally realized what a bloody git he is,' he grumbled.

James ignored him. 'He isn't acting this way for no reason,' he said. 'I wager it's got something to do with the Slytherins.'

Sirius frowned. 'But why is a teacher afraid of some first-years like Mulciber?' He asked. James shook his head, 'Not of them, but whoever their leader is.' He said.

Sirius' eyes widened, 'You can't mean- Vol-' He was cut off as the bell rang and the others filed out of the room. Frank and Alice gave James sympathetic glances as they left.

They sat in silence for a while, awaiting their punishment. When nothing happened, James glanced around.

Meriweather wasn't even in the room anymore.

He stared at Sirius. 'He's losing it,' he breathed. 'He even forgot about giving us detention.'

Sirius stared right back at him in silence.

The rest of May passed by quickly after that and before they knew it, the end of year exams were upon them.

James and Sirius were still brooding over Meriweather's strange behavior and what it could mean.

Remus had attempted to sucker them into studying every now and then but eventually gave up, stating to Lily that it was a hopeless case.

Even Frank wasn't studying as hard as he normally did.

On the day before exams, James and Frank invited Alice to go and practice flying one last time.

The pitch offered both Frank and Alice a means of escaping from the pressure of studying and letting loose for once, while for James it was a means of letting loose more than he already did.

In the months since they had begun practicing, Alice had improved tremendously and could now master any new drill they threw at her within a couple of attempts. She was now capable of flying in three men weaving drills with James and Frank, something they deemed would be extremely helpful for tryouts next year.

James had just beat Alice and Frank in a friendly race from one end of the pitch to the other when he spotted someone watching them from the stands. Said person sported a Gryffindor scarf as well as a mane of red hair.

James grinned to himself and flew down to join her.

'You came just in time for a show Evans,' James said, running a hand through his hair.

Lily rolled her eyes as Frank and Alice dropped down next to them. 'Why does everything have to be about you?' She sighed. She was holding a book in her hand. 'I came to support Alice.'

James grasped his heart in mock distress, 'I thought you had come to watch me dust these two, not to read!' he cried.

Alice shoved him playfully as Frank chuckled.

'You should try reading some Potter,' said Lily mischievously. 'It might increase your vocabulary.' Alice snorted with laughter and James had to grin as well.

Lily beamed at Alice, 'You're improving so much!' She exclaimed happily. 'I think you've got a good chance next year!'

Alice blushed shyly. 'I don't know, I'm still not that confident I'll make it,' she said bashfully.

'Nonsense you're a lock, Dearborn,' snorted James. 'With ol' Longbottom here and yours truly as personal coaches, it would be a disgrace if you were cut,' he said with a wink, earning himself another shove.

Frank smiled at her encouragingly, 'Your control has gotten so much better,' he added. 'I'm sure you'll be fine. If anybody has to worry, it would be me…' He sighed.

James laughed. 'Come off it Longbottom, you've been competing against me for months, the competition at tryouts will seem like a warm up compared to this,' he thumped his chest arrogantly.

Lily snorted derisively, 'You don't seem too worried Potter,' she remarked. James flashed her a cocky smile.

'Doubting me Evans?' He said. Lily shrugged, 'I'm just saying, your overconfidence may come back and bite you where it hurts one day,' she said wisely.

'I think I'm going to head back now,' said Alice, checking her watch. 'I've got to study for transfiguration tommorow…'

Frank joined her and the two waved at them and flew off to the castle.

James realized with a sudden twinge that he was alone with Lily now.

She had her eyes firmly engrossed on her book, although he noted that she never turned the page.

'Uh,' he began, suddenly feeling rather awkward. 'Are you excited for exams?'

James groaned inwardly at his stupid question. To his surprise, Lily didn't comment on his choice of words.

'I'm looking forward to Potions and Charms,' she said shortly. 'I'm kind of nervous about Defense though,' she added rather bitterly. James knew she was referring to Meriweather lashing out at her in class.

Lily finally set down her book. 'Potter,' she said suddenly.

Of all the things she could have said, what came out of her mouth next had been the last thing James was expecting to hear.

'Thanks for standing up for me last time,' she said softly, brushing a loose strand of hair out of her eyes.

'What are you talking about?' James asked, distracted by her motion.

Lily shifted uncomfortably in her seat, 'You know, when Meriweather was yelling at me in class,' she said.

James shrugged nonchalantly. 'He was being a git,' he said simply. 'Anybody could see that.'

Lily appraised him oddly for a moment before standing up and leaning against the railing of the bleachers.

'Sometimes I feel like I'm back in the muggle world,' she said suddenly. James looked at her, puzzled.

'What do you mean?' he asked. Lily leaned on her hand.

'Mudblood,' She said sharply and James raised his eyebrows.

'Evans,' he began warningly but she brushed him off.

'I know, I'm just saying I don't like it one bit.' She said darkly. 'There are so many things I love about this world, but even here there are all these stupid prejudices that drive people apart… I just don't like it,' she sighed.

James wondered why she was saying this to him of all people. 'Uh, if it helps, I would never call you a you-know-what,' he said dryly.

Lily laughed, and the sound of it tickled James ears.

'I know you wouldn't Potter,' she said. 'But that doesn't mean you're not an arrogant toerag either, you're just not evil like Mulciber.' She added.

James blurted it out before he could stop himself. 'I'm not like Snape either,' he said and mentally smacked himself. Why in the world had he gone and said that?

'I don't- it's not what- I didn't mean that,' he spluttered.

Lily's mouth had dropped in shock.

'Sev isn't _evil _like Mulciber and the others_!' _She hissed.

She turned and stormed off, leaving James staring after her and wondering how in the world he had managed to anger her once again.


	19. Exams and Shocks

**Exams and Shocks**

The day of their final exams dawned rather gloomily for the first-years. The wind howled ominously and the sky outside was stormy and gray.

The branches of the trees nearest the castle were torn apart by the wind and made loud scattering noises against the first floor windows where the first-years sat taking their first exam of the day, Transfiguration.

Once James had completed the entire exam, he dropped his quill and stretched, casting a glance around the room.

He was one of the first ones to finish, and would be forced to listen to the incessant scratching of quills for another hour or so.

Sirius was sitting at the table behind him. He caught James' eye and grinned, having also finished the exam early.

'Easy,' he mouthed to James.

James grinned in response, then leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

An hour later, the exhausted first-years made their way straight to their next exam, which was Charms.

The format of this exam was rather straightforward, unlike the difficult Transfiguration exam, which had fortunately been James' best subject.

He completed the short written portion quickly, then turned in his paper and went to another room for his practical session.

Frank was the person standing in front of him in the small line leading to that room, and he nodded at James, looking confident.

James guessed that the material on the exam was like reading a picture book for Frank, who had already taught himself everything up to the fourth year Charms course.

Ten minutes later, James' name was called and he strolled into the room.

A very old witch named Griselda Marchbanks met him at the door and instructed him in a soft voice to sit down.

She checked his name off on a clipboard then sat down in a seat facing James, clasping her wrinkled hands in front of her.

'Mr. Potter, please demonstrate the levitation charm for me.'

James flicked his wand at the rock on the table in front of him and said in a clear voice, _winguardium leviosa.' _

The rock floated up, and when Griselda Marchbanks nodded her assent, he let it fall gently back onto the table.

After testing James on several other incantations they had covered in Charms over the year, she waved him out the door indicating that he was finished.

On his way back, James passed by Lily and Peter, who were waiting in line to take the practical.

Peter waved at him nervously, while Lily stuck her tongue out at him.

James waited in the Great Hall for nearly twenty minutes before Sirius, Remus and Peter joined him at last.

'Glad that that's finally over,' Sirius groaned as he sat down next to James.

'We've still got the Defense against the Dark Arts exam after this,' Remus pointed out and Sirius stared at him blankly.

'I forgot about that,' he said.

James messed up his hair absentmindedly. 'We've also got Potions and Astronomy tomorrow, but I'd say we finished the hard part today,' he said.

'I messed up really badly on the water spell,' Peter moaned. 'I was nervous so I ended up saying _Aquamenti _instead of _Aguamenti_… that old witch didn't look too pleased when I lit her clipboard on fire.'

James and Sirius roared with laughter and even Remus chuckled a bit.

'Say,' he said after they had quieted down. 'I haven't seen Professor Meriweather this morning, and I don't think he was there at breakfast either.'

James had noticed the Defense teacher's absence of course, but he had assumed that Meriweather simply had to make some preparations for the practical exam or something.

The great hall began filling with students who had completed their practical and were now speaking amongst each other about the exams.

A few minutes later, Professor Flitwick strode into the great hall and pointed his wand at his throat.

'Attention first-years,' he said in his magically amplified voice. 'The Defense exam will begin here shortly once Professor Meriweather arrives. Until then, please refrain from speaking too loudly,' he finished.

I'm not looking forward to this exam,' grumbled Sirius. 'Knowing Meriweather, he'll find some obscure reason for failing all of us.'

'He's not that unfair,' reasoned Remus. 'I'm sure he just wants to see if we really understand the spells we learned this year, that's all.'

Ten minutes passed. Then an hour came and went.

The huge clock sounded in the distance, marking the time as four in the afternoon. People began to complain about the delay.

'Is the exam cancelled?' asked one Hufflepuff boy who was sitting next to James. 'Where is Professor Meriweather?' someone else called out.

'Maybe he died?' Sirius suggested hopefully, earning a reproachful look from Remus.

Just then, the large oak doors of the Great Hall opened with a bang, and Professor McGonagall stormed in, followed closely by Professors Flitwick and Slughorn.

'Attention… ATTENTION!' She boomed. James thought he detected a hint of shakiness in her magically amplified voice.

The first-years gave her their undivided attention. Professor McGonagall was pale, and James thought she looked rather ill.

'Your defense exam- and any further exams are cancelled,' she continued briskly, her voice still amplified. 'You will return to your common rooms immediately, and no questions will be asked at the moment.'

She dropped her wand and the Professors began ushering the first-years out of the hall.

'What's going on?' James demanded as he passed by Professor McGonagall. 'Why do we have to return to our common rooms?'

McGonagall shushed him. 'I believe I said _no questions _Mr. Potter,' she said sharply.

'Now off you go,' she turned and led the way up the marble staircase, leaving James feeling very confused.

He exchanged a meaningful look with Sirius Remus and Peter, and they separated themselves from the crowd.

'James, we shouldn't-' Remus said, looking worried.

'Don't you want to know what's going on?' James said shortly as he pulled out his invisibility cloak.

The four boys crowded together, and tiptoed past the remaining students who were being evacuated to their dormitories.

They made their way back into the Great Hall, where Dumbledore stood with several teachers.

James immediately noticed the somber looks they all shared, and his chest tightened nervously. What had happened to make them all look so upset?

They inched closer until they could catch the conversation between the teachers.

'I can't believe it,' said Professor Sprout as she wiped her eyes. 'I mean, right in his office, here at Hogwarts…'

She broke off, blowing her nose on her sleeve.

Professor Flitwick patted her on the back, as high up as he could reach. 'We are all shocked by this Pomona,' he sighed.

Professor Slughorn had an expression of mingled shock and disbelief. He didn't seem capable of speech at the moment.

They all turned to Dumbledore, who spoke at last, looking more serious than James had ever seen him before.

'What happened here this afternoon is a terrible tragedy,' he said quietly, and James had to strain his ears to catch what the aged wizard was saying.

'I don't believe anyone of us could see this coming,' he said. 'Cognes was a valuable ally, and his loss will be a terrible shock when news of it leaks out.'

James exchanged puzzled glances with the others.

Who was Cognus and what had happened to him? He sounded like someone important.

Professor McGonagall returned from the Gryffindor common room and joined the other teachers.

'I'm sorry I'm late,' she breathed. 'I still simply cannot imagine- in the school… how?' She sounded very different from the usual stern Professor McGonagall James was accustomed to.

Dumbledore placed a hand on her shoulder.

'He was a man with many secrets, Minerva,' he said softly. 'Some of which were so valuable that he was willing to lay down his life for them.'

James' breath caught in his throat at Dumbledore's next words.

'Exams will be cancelled tommorow.' He said.

His voice emanated with strength, causing each teacher to snap out of his or her shock and gaze back into his blue eyes.

'I will personally address the students on this matter, and we will allow them to spend their last day paying their respects to Cognus Meriweather.'

Remus and Peter gasped, but James didn't bother hushing them.

He turned and stared at Sirius, whose horrified expression mirrored his own.


	20. Departures and Goodbyes

**Departures and Goodbyes**

**A/N: Thank you biancawho and Jolly Jester for reviewing! Second year will begin shortly so stay involved!**

James spent the last days of his first year at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry brooding in his dormitory.

He was still having a hard time believing that Meriweather was actually dead and gone.

After their eavesdropping session on the teachers, James had been filled with unanswered questions.

How did Meriweather die? Surely he hadn't just dropped dead. Could someone have murdered him in his own office? If so, how had that person gotten into Hogwarts in the first place?

Needless to say, James and the others remained rather preoccupied until the day of the end of year feast.

The first year Gryffindor boy's dormitory was uncharacteristically quiet in the hours before supper.

Sirius was lying on his four-poster and shooting sparks out of his wand. His eyes were closed and his brows furrowed as he brooded silently.

James assumed that Meriweather's death wasn't the only thing on his friend's mind at the moment.

He knew that Sirius didn't exactly fit in at his home, and the fact that he would have to return in a day's time certainly explained his recent behavior.

Remus, as usual, was reading quietly on his bed in the corner of the room. However, he looked rather distracted and kept glancing out the window and sighing heavily.

Peter was asleep on his bed, and Frank was busy packing the last of his belongings into his trunk.

James sat on the edge of his bed quietly, pausing for a moment to take in the dormitory they had shared for the past year.

In spite of recent events, it had been a rather eventful year, he thought to himself with a smile.

In the distance, the bell chimed, it's sound echoing throughout the castle.

'Let's go,' said James as he heaved himself off of his bed.

The Great Hall was just as lively as it had been on the day of the welcoming feast, and it was almost as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened recently.

People from different houses mingled together and exchanged hugs and well wishes. The seventh years in particular were rather teary eyed as they took in the scene of their last memories at Hogwarts.

This atmosphere was broken when Dumbledore stood to his feet.

Everyone in the hall sat down and stopped speaking immediately. They all knew what Dumbledore was going to address.

'Some of you are aware,' Dumbledore began in a calm but reverberating voice, 'of the tragedy that has occurred within this castle.'

The hall remained silent and Dumbledore continued on.

'Professor Meriweather was found dead in his office last Friday,' he said. 'We have reason to believe that he was murdered by a long lasting curse.'

When he paused, the hall broke out in whispers. After a moment, Dumbledore motioned for silence once more.

'It is not my wish to frighten you,' he said softly. 'However, I do insist that you understand the gravity of the situation outside of these walls.'

Man people looked frightened at his words, especially the first years. However, many older students had their jaws set in determination.

Dumbledore raised his voice powerfully.

'One more thing I would like you all to remember,' he continued, 'is the fact that this castle will remain a safe haven for all who enter it. Your safety is assured for as long as I am headmaster of Hogwarts.'

The effect of his words was tremendous.

The whole hall seemed to breath a collective sigh of relief and comfort in knowing that they had such a great wizard on their side.

'Now,' said Dumbledore as he slowly raised his goblet, 'Let us have a moment of silence for Professor Cognus Meriweather, who served his post as Defense against the Dark Arts teacher dutifully, and passionately sought to educate his students about the dangers looming ahead.'

James raised his goblet along with everyone else. He noticed that many Slytherins hadn't touched their goblets.

The feast went by quickly after Dumbledore's speech.

James felt ravished all of a sudden and ate his fill in his last meal at Hogwarts.

They were then sent back upstairs to grab their trunks and before long, they were standing at Hogsmeade station.

As James boarded the Hogwart's Express once more, he turned around one last time to take in the castle in all its glory.

Smiling to himself he whispered, 'See you soon,' and walked inside.

The marauders sat in a compartment near the back of the train for the majority of the ride.

Halfway through Frank dropped by to talk for a little, as did Alice.

'I'm already missing it,' Alice sighed, as she took a seat next to Frank. 'I can't believe a year's gone by already.'

Frank nodded wistfully as he looked out the window, 'I know what you mean,' he said softly. 'Hogwarts is like a second home for all of us now.'

'For most of us,' Sirius corrected. 'I wish I could spend my summers here to be honest, get away from the rest of the Blacks,' he muttered.

'You could always come to my place,' James offered.

Sirius looked delighted at the prospect. 'Yeah, I think I'd like that!' he said, looking more cheerful.

James turned to Alice. 'Have you seen Evans?' He asked casually.

Alice shook her head. 'She's in a compartment with Snape, it would be too awkward for me to join them,' she muttered.

'Maybe we should go and hex Snivellus one last time,' Sirius suggested, halfway out of his seat.

Remus shot him a withering look and he sat back down looking miffed. 'James you should go and say hi,' he suggested.

James shook his head. 'Nothing ever goes well when Snape's near her,' he said sadly. 'It'll just end up in another fight.'

'You don't know that,' Alice said encouragingly, but they soon dropped the subject and began discussing their plans for the upcoming summer.

A few hours later, the train pulled into King's Cross Station and let out a long hoot signaling the journey's end.

James had only just stepped off the train when Mrs. Potter, who had been standing nearby, engulfed him in a bone-crushing hug.

'I missed you so much!' She said into his hair as she squeezed him tightly.

'I missed you too mum,' James mumbled into her jacket. 'But can you put me down now? You're embarrassing me,' he said quickly.

Mrs. Potter set him down and James saw his father smiling next to her.

'Welcome back son,' he said as he embraced him.

James' parents then turned and greeted his friends warmly before they all went their separate ways.

'Make sure you write James!' Remus shouted as he ran towards his parents. Peter also waved and before James knew it, they were both gone.

Sirius was the last to leave, and the two friends embraced.

'Take care this summer mate,' James said. 'Try not to blow up your parent's house if you get angry,' he joked.

Sirius barked out a laugh and let go.

'Remember to keep your mirror on you!' he yelled as he too disappeared into the growing crowd.

James turned to his parents, who looked at him wearily.

'You knew I was going to ask right?' He asked cautiously. They exchanged a glance and chuckled.

'Sometimes I forget that you're only a first-year James,' sighed Mr. Potter.

Mrs. Potter laughed, 'Charlus, he's a second year now!'

James turned to his father. 'How did Professor Meriweather die?' He asked quietly. The question had been at the forefront of his mind for days now.

Mr. Potter glanced around and then guided James to the same corner where he had spoken to him over Christmas break.

'Listen James, what I'm about to say is just a rough summary,' he explained.

James nodded fervently, staring into his dad's eyes unflinchingly.

Mr. Potter ran a hand through his hair, much like James normally did when he was nervous.

'Cognus Meriweather was a man with a lot of enemies,' he began as James listened attentively.

'Professor Dumbledore said he was cursed,' he whispered. 'Who cursed him?'

Mr. Potter sighed. 'There is only so much I can tell you James, but it seems you already know the gist.' He shared a look with Mrs. Potter.

'Many of us believe that Mr. Meriweather had done something to anger Voldemort,' he said darkly.

James gasped, 'So Voldemort cursed him to death?' He breathed in shock.

Mr. Potter shook his head.

'We don't know the details of the curse, except that Mr. Meriweather should have been in intense pain in the months preceding his passing,' he said grimly.

'When he was found, there were purple marks all along his upper back and neck, which he kept covered during his lessons.'

James inhaled sharply, remembering how even on hot days, Meriweather always seemed to dress extremely conservatively. Now he knew why.

'What we do know however, is that it wasn't Voldemort himself who performed the curse, but his right hand man Lucien Rankin,' said Mr. Potter.

James gulped in spite of himself and Mrs. Potter placed her hands on his shoulders.

'I think that's enough for now,' she said firmly.

'Right now come on, let's forget about dark things and head on home, I want to know whether you stuck to the Potter _tradition _this year or not,' Mr. Potter said, smoothly changing the subject with a knowing wink at James.

Olivia sighed, 'Please tell me you didn't follow in his footsteps and become a fool James,' she pleaded.

James laughed for what felt like the first time in days.

'I don't plan on following dad's footsteps,' he said with a smirk. 'But I do plan on leaving my own mark on the school.'

'Well said,' chuckled Mr. Potter.

As they began to head to the exit, out of the corner of his eye, James saw the last person get off the train as it hooted once more.

It was Lily Evans and she caught his eye. For a moment they stared at each other, unsure what to do.

Then, tentatively, Lily held up a hand and waved at him.

James' nearly exploded with excitement and he waved back a bit too eagerly.

As he caught up to his parents, Mr. Potter nudged him knowingly.

'Actually I change my mind,' he said. 'I think I'd rather hear about what just went on over there,' he smirked.

James flushed but couldn't stop the smile from spreading on his face.

He had only just left the place, but he was already looking forward to returning to Hogwarts next year.


	21. Author's Note

**Author's Note**

I would like to thank all the people who took the time to read year one! Year two is coming next so stay on the lookout for that soon.


	22. Alleys and Recruits

**Alleys and Recruits**

On the morning of August tenth, bright hot rays of sunshine illuminated the small wizarding village of Godric's Hollow, which was tucked deep into the hills of Britain.

The village seemed to be asleep.

No one was in sight and the only sounds that could be heard were the chirping of the birds and the rustling of the weeds in the gardens.

Behind the closed doors of the Potter household however, the mood was anything but serene.

Twelve-year-old James Potter, with his messy hair and glasses, had decided to try flying his nimbus one thousand around the house to relieve his pent up excitement.

After several picture frames had been knocked off the walls and a new desk had been shattered, Mrs. Potter had had quite enough of her son's foolishness.

'JAMES POTTER COME DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT!' She shrieked.

A minute later, her son was floating in front of her with a grin on his slowly maturing face.

James had shot up in height in the summer. When he had come home for Christmas break, he had been shorter than Mrs. Potter, but he now stood a good two inches taller than her, much to her dismay.

A summer of her homemade meals had certainly done the trick, she thought with a smile.

She quickly shook her head and returned to vehemently scolding James on proper 'indoor' behavior.'

James drummed his fingers against the wall restlessly as he pretended to listen to Mrs. Potter's tirade.

At the moment, he was very excited for two reasons.

The first reason for his good mood was that he would finally get to see the friends he had made after a two-month break again today.

Remus, the unassuming bookworm, was the mastermind behind many of the group's finest pranks. He was also a werewolf; something James had discovered the previous year when they had followed him under the invisibility cloak.

Peter Pettigrew, although nervous and unsure of himself at times, was also a good friend when it came down to it. He had a knack for overhearing interesting news around Hogwarts, and these snippets of information often inspired their pranks.

Finally there was the mysterious Sirius Black, handsome and mischievous, who seemed to only convey his true feelings to James alone.

Together the four of them made up the Marauders, and today was their long awaited reunion in Diagon Alley.

Mrs. Potter had finally finished her lecture on etiquette and was now ushering James to get dressed to leave.

As James ran up stairs to get changed, he caught his father, Charlus Potter's eye and rolled his eyes.

Mr. Potter was an accomplished Auror for the ministry, and had been called into action countless times over the past summer due to the large rise in attacks.

However he was now in his fifties, and although James refused to admit it, the workload was beginning to catch up to his aging father in more ways than one.

When he had gotten his school items list and wand, James hurried to the fireplace to join his mother.

'Are you sure you don't need me to go with you dear?' She asked once again.

'Yeah I'll be fine mum, I'm meeting the others there at eleven,' said James, reaching into the pouch that contained floo powder.

Throwing a handful into the fire, James stepped into the green flames and said, 'Diagon Alley,' in a clear voice.

After a few rather uncomfortable moments, during which James felt like he was being squashed on all sides, he finally shot out into the fireplace of an old looking store, which sold quills and parchment.

Strolling out into the sunlit streets, James took in the bustling scene with a smile.

It was a beautiful day, and the familiar faces he spotted here and there only made it better.

James made his way to Flourish and Blotts, where he was set to meet the others. On his way, he caught sight of a young couple kissing in broad daylight.

He rolled his eyes and kept walking until he heard a voice behind him call, 'Oi James!'

He turned and was met with a face full of shaggy black hair as Sirius Black launched himself at him and enveloped James in a tight hug.

'It feels like forever since I've seen your face!' Sirius exclaimed as he let go of James.

Like James, Sirius had also grown in the summer and was still a bit taller than James, as he had been last year. He had grown more handsome as well; his black hair had grown longer and now reached past his chin.

'It's good to see you too,' James laughed as they made their way inside Flourish and Blotts.

The inside of the bookstore was crowded with wizards and witches lining to get their books.

James immediately spotted several other Gryffindors including Dorcas Meadowes and Dirk Cresswell from the Quidditch team.

Standing in the corner of the room, reading from a book on the shelf, was Remus Lupin.

'Hey Remus!' James called as he pushed his way through the crowd.

Remus looked up and grinned. He looked much healthier than the last time James had seen him.

'Long time no see you two,' he said, placing the book back onto the shelf. 'Peter's saved us a spot in line, so we can take our time in getting our books.'

'Well let's not keep him waiting then,' said James.

He turned around and found that he had run into something.

It was very soft.

Whatever it was that he had run into made a small 'oomph' sound. He looked down at it and saw that said thing was actually a person with flaming red hair.

Lily Evans rubbed her head and scowled at James. 'Watch where you're going Potter,' she snapped irritably.

James put on his best grin.

'I haven't seen you all summer Evans, let's not pretend that you didn't miss me,' he said cheekily.

'I most certainly did NOT miss seeing your face Potter,' she snorted.

'Now if you wouldn't mind, I'm meeting Sev at Madame Malkin's,' she brushed past him and greeted Remus warmly as she left the store.

Lily had grown a bit over the summer and James couldn't help but stare at her muggle clothing as she left them. He decided that he preferred those clothes to the billowing Hogwart's robes any day of the week.

'Still no luck eh?' Sirius chuckled from next to James.

James shrugged, 'She'll see sense this year,' he said confidently.

Remus rolled his eyes as he overheard James' statement. 'What exactly will she see sense of?' he asked.

James paused. He had never really considered that part before.

Before he could come up with a decent response, Peter came scurrying over and begged them to hurry up as he caught his breath.

'Hey James, Sirius-' he gasped. 'The lady up there says to get a move on, we're blocking the line.'

The four of them quickly stacked up all the required books for second year and paid. After buying all of their books, they decided to head to Madame Malkin's for new robes, as James and Sirius had both outgrown theirs.

James noticed that Remus hadn't bought any new robes and questioned him about this. Remus' ears turned red.

'I don't really need them,' he muttered.

James realized that Remus probably had to save all of his money just to get new books, so he went in and bought a new pair of robes for his friend himself despite Remus's protests.

They spent the afternoon exploring every shop on the bustling street, and paused several times for some ice cream at Florean Fortescue's stand.

The shop they spent the most time at was 'Quality Quidditch Supplies,' where the newest broomstick model to date was on display.

James and Sirius both ogled the freshly waxed broom with longing.

However, James already had his nimbus one thousand and he certainly wasn't going to ask his parents to pay that much money for something he didn't need.

Perhaps the thing about this year that James had looked forward to the most was his eligibility to try out for the Quidditch team. He couldn't wait to get out onto the pitch and show off his skills, especially in front of the Slytherins.

Shooting one last longing glance at the new broomstick, James and the others called it a day and headed to the Leaky Cauldron to floo back home.

Upon entering the bar, James was immediately reminded of an old joke his father had told him about a troll, a hag and a wizard entering a bar.

He could certainly see now where that joke was coming from, as he took in the various people seated or standing around the room. He could have sworn that the person sitting on the stool nearest him was actually a troll.

Just when they had made their way to the fireplace, a snide voice called out to James.

'Well, well… if itsn't the Gryffindor poster boy James Potter and his _friends_.'

James turned and scowled. If there was one person he had hated more than Snape at Hogwarts last year, it was Lucius Malfoy.

'Buzz off Malfoy, I don't feel like speaking to prats,' he said rudely.

Malfoy clicked his tongue, 'Now that's not very nice,' he chided in a silky smooth voice.

'I was just wondering how your summer has been, being tucked away from all the mayhem.'

James narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

'By 'mayhem' you mean the muggle killings? What would you know about that Malfoy?' He asked coldly.

Malfoy laughed, his voice dripping with ice. 'I don't suppose you would know, you're not _old_ enough yet,' he sneered.

'Yeah, just because we're not old enough yet doesn't mean we can't tell that you've already crawled under Voldemort's feet and kissed them since you graduated Malfoy,' growled Sirius.

Malfoy's cool demeanor finally faded and he glared savagely at Sirius. 'You dare speak the dark lord's name?' He hissed.

Sirius glared back arrogantly, itching for a fight.

'We're not fighting here, are we?' Came a loud voice from behind them.

James turned and saw a tall wizard standing by the door.

He was wearing thick black robes despite the heat, and he carried a newspaper in his hand.

James noticed that the man's eyes were rather calculating, and he suddenly had the uncomfortable sensation that the man could see into his mind. The sensation faded as suddenly as it came, however.

'Nothing of importance,' Malfoy responded with a sneer. 'Just sorting out a few troublemakers.'

The man eyed the boys suspiciously for a moment before turning around.

'You should watch where you play from now on,' he said coldly as he left.

They stared at his retreating figure until he disappeared into the green flames of the fireplace.

'Git,' Sirius muttered darkly.

'I supposed your father knows him? Isn't that why you were sucking up to him so much?'

He had turned to taunt Malfoy, but they realized that the former Slytherin had disappeared in the midst of their silence.

James frowned, 'Something's different about Malfoy,' he said suddenly.

The others stared at him.

'His head grew bigger,' Sirius supplied helpfully. Remus rolled his eyes, but looked more serious.

'He seems much… darker than he was last year,' he said quietly so that only they could hear him.

'I don't know what happened over the summer, but he seems more dangerous than before. I would tread lightly around him if I were you,' he warned.

'Maybe he's finally gone and joined them then,' James said slowly. 'The death eaters.'

His statement hung in the air, leaving them all brooding in silence for a few moments.

Finally, Sirius let out a groan. 'Let's forget about Malfoy, I'm starving,' he complained.

They ate some sandwiches at the bar, and drank water from dirty looking glasses before heading their separate ways.

Sirius lived nearby Diagon Alley he said, so he waved at them and disappeared into the crowd that was heading back into muggle London.

Remus and Peter entered the fireplace first.

'See you in a few weeks,' said Remus as he spun out of view. Peter seemed to be too sick to say anything, so he simply waved at James as he disappeared.

James was the last one to leave.

As he stepped into the fireplace, his mind drifted back to Malfoy.

Had he really become a full-fledged death eater over the summer? What about the others Slytherins… were they all a part of Voldemort's group of followers?

Shaking his head free of negative thoughts, James stepped into the fireplace. 'Potter Manor,' he said loudly.

The last thing on his mind before being sucked away was that this was going to be a most eventful year for them.


	23. Talks and Teachers

**Talks and Teachers**

Platform 9 ¾ was abuzz with activity on the morning of September 1st. Parents were waving to their children as they boarded the Hogwarts Express, and the sound of carts being pushed around by late stragglers filled the station.

James stood with his parents just inside the gates as they parted ways.

'Have a good year honey,' Mrs. Potter said tearfully. 'Make sure you keep the troublemaking to a minimum this year.'

Mr. Potter embraced his son next, 'Good luck during tryouts,' he said with a wink. 'But don't count your chickens before they hatch.'

'I won't,' James said as he picked up his trunk.

'Bye mum, dad!' He waved one last time before stepping through the barrier and onto the platform.

The moment James stepped through platform 9 ¾, he saw Sirius Remus and Peter already there waiting for him. He made his way over, when they called out to him.

'You're late!' cried Sirius as he pretended to look hurt. 'James you never keep your promises!'

James chuckled and patted his overdramatic friend on the back. 'It's good to finally be here,' he said with a smile.

'How are your parents doing James?' asked Remus as they walked towards the train.

'Oh they're great,' James replied. 'Only thing is dad's been really busy this summer at the office.'

'What about your mum Moony, how's she doing?' Sirius asked suddenly.

Remus cleared his throat. 'She's perfectly fine thanks,' he said shortly.

James and Sirius exchanged amused looks.

'So I take it that she er, was cured of spattergroit then?' asked James.

'That's fantastic Moony!' Sirius exclaimed as he placed an arm around Remus' shoulders.

'Oh shut up,' Remus mumbled in embarrassment as James and Sirius roared with laughter.

'Come on mate you set yourself up for that one with that pathetic excuse last year,' Sirius gasped through his laughter.

Remus cleared his throat loudly once again.

'So, how were your summers?' he asked stiffly in a transparent attempt at changing the subject.

'Speaking of families,' James said suddenly, looking over Remus' shoulder. 'There's Lily's family.'

They turned and sure enough, Lily was standing with her parents and a skinny girl that appeared to be her sister.

Lily and her sister appeared to be arguing about something, and her parents stood there looking rather helpless as their daughters yelled at each other.

Finally, Lily's bony sister stormed off in a huff, leaving Lily alone with her parents.

James could tell even from a distance that Lily looked rather upset. She embraced her parents and ran onto the train in a hurry.

James turned to Sirius. 'She must share some of your family issues mate,' he said softly.

Sirius shrugged, 'I doubt she'd talk to me even if I offered,' he said.

The train hooted and let out a spray of steam from the front car.

The four boys boarded and made their way to their usual compartment in the back of the train.

As the Hogwarts Express began to move and the scenery outside flashed by, James felt a tug of excitement. He was finally going back to Hogwarts!

'This year is going to be our best yet,' he declared.

Remus raised an eyebrow and Sirius looked amused. 'What makes you say that James?'

James ruffled his hair, as was his habit.

'We are heading towards a year of Quidditch, a year of Gryffindor glory, and the year that I best Lily Evans in every aspect of magic,' he said arrogantly.

Remus rolled his eyes. 'I think you mean _your _best year,' he muttered. 'And besting Lily's isn't going to be easy, especially in Potions and Charms,' he said.

James brushed this comment off nonchalantly. 'I think you're underestimating me Remus,' he said with a wink. 'But let me throw in one more for good measure: making Snivellus' life hell.'

Just then, the compartment door opened and Lily came in looking rather gloomy. James couldn't help but remember that they had met her under the exact same circumstances a year earlier.

Her eyes widened, as she clearly hadn't expected to see them in there.

'Sorry I'll find another compartment,' she said and made to leave. James quickly stood in her way.

'What are you doing Potter?' She snapped, not meeting his eyes. 'I'm going to find another compartment.'

James sighed. 'Is it that hard to sit with us for a bit?' He asked.

Lily turned to Remus, who shrugged and motioned for the seat next to him and after a moment of hesitance, Lily sat down.

James returned to his seat and stared at Lily. She still had on a sad expression and was staring out the window.

'Did you and your sister fight?' He asked her.

Lily snorted, 'Since when do you care?' She said coldly. James leaned back in his seat as he appraised her.

'Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop or anything but I saw you and your sister before she ran off,' he informed her. 'She doesn't seem like a very nice person.'

'James!' Remus warned, but it was too late.

Lily stood, her face slowly beginning to match her hair.

'Don't act like you know anything about me and my sister Potter,' she snarled. 'It's none of your business in the first place!' and with that she stormed off.

Remus sighed and went after her, but not before shooting James a look of disapproval.

'Did I say something wrong?' he asked the compartment at large.

James was thoroughly confused at Lily's reaction. He had only meant to start a conversation. And why was Remus upset with him now?

Sirius looked amused. 'You have a strange way of making conversation,' he observed.

'Oh shut it,' James snapped, his good mood slightly dampened.

Remus returned not long after with a message from Lily for James to feed himself to the giant squid immediately upon their arrival.

A few hours later, the sky had darkened and the train pulled into Hogsmeade station at last.

As he disembarked the train, James immediately caught sight of Hagrid's massive figure up ahead.

'Hey Hagrid,' he shouted so that the gamekeeper could hear him.

Hagrid turned to towards them, a friendly grin on his bearded face.

'Hullo there James! I've got to watch these firs' years here so I'll catch you at the feast later eh?'

He waved and stomped off.

'I still can't get over how gigantic he is,' mumbled Peter.

James didn't respond. He was too busy taking in the sight of Hogwarts, looming as majestically as ever over the water on the cliff up ahead.

He was home at last.

After a short ride in the carriages that seemed to move on their own, they arrived in the Great Hall, where Professor McGonagall was leading in a line of first years.

James took a seat at the table, greeting Frank Longbottom as he did so. Sirius Remus and Peter joined them and sat down.

'Looks like the sorting's about to start,' whispered Remus.

Sure enough, McGonagall tapped her wand to her throat and said in an amplified voice,

'Anderson, Thomas.'

James noted with amusement that the boy McGonagall had called up was wearing robes at least two sizes to small for him.

He was about to point this out to Sirius, but when he turned, he saw that his best friend was watching the goings on rather intently.

Soon after, McGonagall made her way into the 'B' names and James finally understood Sirius' interest.

'Regulus Black,' called McGonagall, and a boy with long dark hair strolled up to the hat and sat down.

James noted that he resembled Sirius, although he wasn't quite as handsome as his brother. He walked a little bit duck-footed and didn't carry himself as gracefully as Sirius often did.

Sirius was leaning forward in his seat when the hat suddenly yelled, 'SLYTHERIN!'

Regulus took the hat off with a grin and ran to the cheering Slytherin table.

James glanced at Sirius sympathetically and saw that his friend's expression had closed off and was replaced by an ice-cold mask.

When the sorting had ended, Dumbledore rose to his feet.

'Welcome back,' he said jovially to the hall at large. 'I trust that everyone here had a memorable summer, full of studying perhaps?'

Several people tittered and Dumbledore continued on with a smile.

'Before we dig into our marvelous feast, Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you that the list of prohibited items is nailed to the board in each dormitory. I must also remind you that the Forbidden Forest is once again, forbidden from entry by any student.'

His gaze lingered on James before his eyes twinkled merrily once more.

'It is with great pleasure that I introduce you to our new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Selwyn.'

A man at the very end of the table stood, and James stared at him in recognition. It was the man from Diagon Alley who had interrupted their quarrel with Lucius Malfoy.

As applause sounded throughout the hall, the new professor seemed to catch James' eye and for a moment, James felt as though his mind was being laid bare before him.

The moment passed and James sank into his seat, exchanging looks with Sirius and Remus.

Dumbledore raised his arms. 'Enough of my rambling, please enjoy the feast!' He snapped his fingers and the dishes suddenly filled up with all kinds of delicious looking food.

The hall filled with the sounds of forks, knives and laughter once more.

James turned to Remus with a frown. 'That new Professor isn't normal,' he said. Remus looked puzzled at James words.

'Well, I would think he is especially talented at Defense since Dumbledore appointed him himself,' he said thoughtfully. 'What do you think Sirius?'

James realized that Sirius hadn't spoken in a while, and was still staring at his empty plate with an angry expression on his normally cheerful face.

He sighed. 'C'mon mate, don't think about your brother now, let's just be glad that we're back at Hogwarts,' he said cheerfully.

Sirius groaned and smacked himself on the lips.

'You're right, I don't know why I ever cared about that little prat,' he said rather viciously and he began tearing through a piece of roast ham.

James turned to face the staff table once more.

Professor Selwyn wasn't speaking to anyone, but he looked up at the same moment and caught James' eye.

Once again, James felt the strange, uncomfortable feeling he often had around their new professor.

'This could be a long year,' he thought to himself as he dug into his food.


	24. Noses and Rows

**Noses and Rows**

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed! Shouts out to Spottedmist, flawsmadebeautiful, biancawho and The Jolly Jester for showing support! And now the story continues…**

The rest of the welcoming feast passed by rather uneventfully. As soon as the dishes were cleared, James and the others went upstairs along with the other Gryffindors.

The portrait of the fat lady swung open when a prefect said, '_gillyweed,' _revealing the familiar homely Gryffindor common room.

James smiled at the sight.

There were squashy armchairs and couches littered around the large room, and the fireplace in the corner looked as cozy as ever. It was like they had never left.

Later that night, the four of them sat in the dormitory and shared their summer stories with Frank, whom they had not seen since the last day of term.

When James finished telling him about their encounter with Lucius Malfoy and Professor Selwyn in Diagon Alley, Frank let out a low whistle.

'I think you're right James,' he said grimly. 'Lucius Malfoy is definitely a death eater.'

James could tell that Frank was angered by the news, and he had good reason to be. The previous year, Lucien Rankin, a high-ranking death eater, had slaughtered Frank's entire family except for him and his mother.

Frank had taken the tragedy extremely heavily, and was now determined to become an Auror as soon as possible in order to catch dark wizards.

James realized with an uncomfortable twinge of guilt, that Frank still had no idea who exactly had killed his family.

Remus shut his book loudly.

'We shouldn't come to conclusions so hastily,' he said evenly.

The black shadows under his eyes had become more pronounced, James noticed as his mind drifted away from Rankin.

Was it nearing his time of month already?

'Either way, that Selwyn bloke was definitely a Slytherin,' said Sirius from where he lay on the floor. 'I mean, he practically jumped to Malfoy's side without hearing us out!'

For a moment, James considered telling them about the uncomfortable feeling he had been experiencing each time he made eye contact with the new professor, but in the end, he decided against it.

'We've got Defense against the Dark Arts first thing in the morning so we should get some sleep,' suggested Peter. They all murmured in agreement and soon, the lights were out.

James lay awake on his bed a while after Sirius began snoring. What would Selwyn's classes be like? Surely he would prove to be a more likeable teacher than Meriweather had been the previous year?

James yawned, suddenly feeling exhausted. He drifted to sleep and dreamed of playing Quidditch.

James took a seat in the back of the room along with Sirius. Remus and Peter sat in the row in front of them, while Frank and Alice Dearborn sat on their right.

As usual Lily took a seat in the front of the room next to Severus, much to James' annoyance.

Professor Selwyn strolled to the front of the room and faced them, his dark eyes glinting in the dim room.

'Second year Gryffindors and Slytherins,' he began silkily. 'Welcome to my Defense against the Dark Arts lesson.'

Nobody said anything, and Selwyn continued.

'I trust everyone here is still in shock regarding the, _unfortunate _events of last term,' he said quietly.

Some people shifted uncomfortably at the topic of Meriweather's death. James wondered where he was going with this.

'It is Professor Dumbledore's wish, therefore, that I prepare you for the upcoming darkness outside of these walls,' said Selwyn. 'The focus of my curriculum will on two essential things: strengthening of skills, and of the mind.'

At this, he turned and stared straight at James, who once again experienced the strange feeling in his gut.

'Today, we shall try something that the ministry believes is too difficult for a few second years, but _I believe _will be of great use for you in the future,' said Selwyn.

'Does anyone in this room know the advantages of casting a nonverbal spell?'

Then without turning he said, 'Perhaps Mr. Potter can help us…?'

James stood to his feet.

'It gives you a split second advantage in a duel,' he said. 'Also, your opponent doesn't know what spell you're going to cast.' He sat back down, ignoring the impressed glances from some of his classmates.

Professor Selwyn smirked. 'Ah, I see you've done your research Mr. Potter… take two points to Gryffindor.'

'_Two?' _Sirius whispered indignantly. 'You should have gotten at least five!'

Remus shushed him; he had his eyes glued to Selwyn.

Selwyn raised his arms and looked around the room expectantly. 'So, can anyone here cast a nonverbal spell?' He inquired once more.

James glanced around the room and saw that only Frank had raised his hand.

Professor Selwyn eyed him with interest. 'You would be Longbottom right?' he said coldly. He motioned for him to stand up.

Frank nodded and stood slowly.

Selwyn whipped out his wand and several people stiffened at the sight.

'Do not worry, my aim isn't to bring harm to any of you, I simply wish to demonstrate the proper defense against a nonverbal charm,' he said smoothly.

Some of the Slytherins were watching the scene with rapt eagerness on their faces.

'Probably hoping Frank gets hurt,' James thought with a scowl. Inside his robes, his grip around his own wand tightened.

'On the count of three Longbottom, I want you to cast a nonverbal spell at me,' instructed Selwyn. Frank looked unsure, 'But Professor, are you su-'

'Do as I say Longbottom,' Selwyn snapped and he raised his wand in a defensive stance.

Frank narrowed his eyes in concentration, before silently jabbing his wand at Selwyn.

A jet of red light burst out of the tip of Frank's wand and for a moment, it seemed as though Selwyn couldn't react fast enough.

However, right before Frank's successful spell reached him, Selwyn waved his wand and nonverbally produced a massive shield charm, the sheer power of which sent Frank tumbling back into the empty row of desks in the back.

'Oi Frank!' James exclaimed as he leapt out of his seat.

Sirius and Lily helped Frank to his feet; his nose was bleeding rather heavily but he managed to speak thickly.

'Nithe shield tharm Profetter.'

Professor Selwyn didn't look sorry for bloodying Frank's nose. With a cold sneer he said, 'You three may take Longbottom to the hospital wing.'

As soon as they were out of earshot, Sirius let loose an impressive string of profanity, causing Lily to wrinkle her nose in disgust.

'Easy Sirius,' James said as he handed Frank a tissue. 'Don't let him get to you.'

Sirius looked at James incredulously.

'He just went and bloodied Longbottom's nose for no reason, we didn't even learn how to cast a nonverbal spell!' He exclaimed.

Lily looked at Frank with concern etched on her face.

'How do you feel Frank? Does it hurt a lot?' She asked sympathetically.

Frank shook his head and brushed it off as nothing, although the effect was ultimately ruined due to the two pieces of tissue sticking out of his nose.

'Id nobing,' he said thickly through his nosebleed.

They arrived at the hospital wing and greeted Madame Pomfrey, the school matron.

She did not look too happy to see them however, and bustled around muttering under her breath about how reckless the younger students were these days.

'He will have to stay for about ten minutes, so you lot go back to class,' she said as she wiped the blood off Franks' mouth.

James stepped forward. 'It's fine, we'll wait for him,' he said, but the matron glared at him.

'You will not miss any more class time, Mr. Longbottom will be perfectly fine when I'm through with him. Now off you go!' she snapped.

As soon as they stepped out of the hospital wing, Sirius and James both heaved deep sighs of relief and exchanged excited looks.

Lily eyed them strangely. 'What are you going to do?' She asked apprehensively.

Sirius raised his arms dramatically. 'We have another half hour before class ends, do you know how much time that is to explore the castle?'

Lily frowned, 'You're not thinking of ditching class are you?' she said suspiciously. She shrieked when Sirius threw an arm around her.

'Oh come on, what else would I be insinuating Evans?' He said cheerfully. 'And you're coming with us as well.'

Lily shrugged off Sirius' arm and crossed both of her own as she glared at them fiercely.

'I will not go gallivanting the castle when I have a class to attend!' she snapped.

James was looking at a point behind Lily. 'You might want to rethink that one Evans,' he said thoughtfully.

Before Lily could respond, the gruff voice of the caretaker, Argus Filch pierced the corridor like a knife, making her jump.

'Students out of class…?' he said slowly, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.

James stepped forward as Lily looked too terrified of getting a detention to speak. 'We were told to-' he began but Filch cut him off.

'You _thought_ you'd run around the school and cause some _trouble_ did you?' snapped Filch as he drew nearer.

'No, I'm trying to tell you we have permission from a teacher! We-'

'AS IF I WOULD BELIEVE A STORY TOLD BY ONE OF YOU MARAUDERS!' Filch suddenly screamed, looking quite deranged.

'Bloody hell,' James muttered as he grabbed a petrified Lily by the arm. 'I knew we shouldn't have hung Mrs. Norris to the ceiling last night.'

They took off down the hallway, with Sirius close behind them. Filch's screams echoed loudly across the walls as he fruitlessly chased after them.

'Oh no we're going to be caught… I'll get a detention!' Lily moaned as she glanced back.

'No one's getting a detention Evans,' James shouted back, although he was rather enjoying watching her panic.

They rounded a corner and ran down the marble staircase back onto the floor of Selwyn's classroom.

Filch's yells grew fainter and fainter, before stopping altogether.

They bent over and caught their breaths for a moment.

'Y-you are so… lucky… James Potter,' Lily gasped. 'You almost got me in detention you prat!'

James felt indignation come to his defense. 'It's not our fault Filch is slow in the head!' he snapped. 'How was I supposed to know he wouldn't hear us out?'

Lily couldn't come up with a response to that and fumed silently.

James turned to Sirius, who was chuckling merrily.

'Oh the look on Filch's face,' he sighed happily. 'I don't think I could go another twenty four hours before I need to see it again.'

Lily had just made to go inside the classroom when the bell rang and the door burst open, revealing a red-faced Severus Snape.

As the other students piled out the door, several people cast curious glances at the scene in front of the classroom.

Snape's eyes slowly drifted from Lily, who was still red in the face, to James and Sirius, who were trying to catch their breaths.

Lily placed a hand on his arm, 'Sev it's not what you think it is,' she said nervously. To James' surprise, Snape turned to her, looking rather hurt.

'You missed class to have fun with these two,' he said quietly.

Lily shook her head frantically, 'NO! I mean- no… Professor Selwyn told us to take Frank to the hospital wing remember?'

Snape glared at her, 'Then why were you laughing so hard just now? I thought you told me you hated them?' He demanded.

Lily began to get angry. 'Look Severus,' he flinched at her use of his first name.

'I don't know what you're thinking right now, but I'm telling you it's not what it looks like! And you shouldn't be making so many groundless assumptions-'

'Well maybe if you had just been sorted into Slytherin, I wouldn't have to!' Snape snapped.

Lily looked ready to explode.

James felt a hand on his shoulder and tore his eyes away from the shouting match occurring before his eyes.

It was Remus, and he was motioning in the opposite direction. 'Let's leave them alone,' he whispered.

James shot one last look at Lily and Snape as they continued to yell at each other.

He was rather shocked that they were fighting, and a small part of him even felt badly for Lily who had done nothing to deserve Snape's accusations.

However as they walked away, no matter how hard James tried, he couldn't stop the triumphant smirk that made its way onto his lips.


	25. Notices and Guilt

**Notices and Guilt**

In the weeks following their big row, Lily had been adamantly avoiding Snape, much to James' delight and Snape's despair.

On more than one occasion, the greasy haired Slytherin had tried to speak to her outside of the Gryffindor common room, but Lily usually responded by slamming the portrait of the Fat Lady in his face.

James' good spirits were raised even higher one evening when he read the notice attached to the board in the common room. On closer inspection, he realized that it was the Quidditch trial sign up sheet.

'It's finally here isn't it?' Frank said nervously, joining James at the board.

James grinned. 'The day I've been waiting for,' he said dramatically. 'C'mon Longbottom let's sign up.'

They both signed their names on the list under the 'chaser' column. James saw that Alice Dearborn and one other girl had signed up under 'seeker.'

Frank stared at the list looking worried. 'I wonder if we did enough to help Alice?' he wondered out loud.

James laughed good-naturedly, 'If it bothers you, we can always set up another practice session with her,' he offered.

Frank lightened up at the idea. 'Yeah, I think that would help me a lot as well!' he said, looking more cheerful than he had all of the previous year.

'That's settled then,' James said right as Sirius came running towards them with a piece of parchment in his hand.

He skidded to a halt in front of James and shoved the parchment under his nose excitedly.

'Look, Remus finally got the spell down!' he exclaimed.

The piece of parchment Sirius was holding was the Marauder's top-secret project, a detailed map of the school. The previous year, they had gradually added more rooms and passageways as they explored the castle more and more thoroughly each week.

As James took the map in his hands and examined it closely, he was shocked to see that there were now a bunch of tiny dots on the page, when before it had only been lines.

Upon closer inspection, he noticed that each dot had a name attached to it.

He searched for the Gryffindor common room and immediately found the dots labeled, '_James Potter,' 'Sirius Black,' and 'Frank Longbottom.' _

'Sirius, this is awesome!' James breathed in awe. 'We can finally make good use of it this year!'

Sirius grinned at him. 'Moony says he'll need more time to perfect the spell, but as of now I think it's safe to say that it works,' he said with pride.

Frank was leaning in curiously so James quickly shoved the parchment into his pocket. He would need to find a way to prevent others from seeing the map, he thought.

On Saturday morning as promised, James sought out Alice Dearborn at breakfast. She was sitting with Lily and some other girls at the end of the table farthest from the Slytherin table.

Alice saw him coming and stood up. 'Hey Potter!' she called out as she waved him over.

'I haven't spoken to you since last term, how was your summer?' She asked amicably as he sat down, ignoring Lily's glares.

'It was fine thanks, and yours?' James responded politely.

Alice rolled her eyes, 'You don't have to be so formal, but my summer was great,' she said happily. 'Now would you care to share the real reason you've sought me out this fine morning?' she added with a hint of expectation in her voice.

James chuckled, 'Ah yeah, Frank and I-' Alice sat up straighter- 'were just wondering if you would want to practice one more time before trials tomorrow?' he asked.

Alice was staring at her food, looking slightly sick. Worried that he had said something wrong, James waved a hand in front of her face.

'Oiii, Dearborn you all right?' he asked. Perhaps he had put too much pressure on her by reminding her of the impending trials?

Alice looked at him desperately, 'Please make me better by tomorrow,' she pleaded. 'I'm really nervous because I didn't have time to practice over the summer…'

James offered her a confident smile. 'That's what we're here for,' he laughed. 'So meet us at the pitch after eating?'

Alice nodded quickly, her curls bouncing up and down.

As James returned to his seat, he caught Frank's eye and gave him a thumbs up. Frank looked relieved and turned back to his cereal.

From across from James, Remus suddenly dropped his copy of the Daily Prophet with a heavy sigh. On the front page, James could clearly make out a picture of a burning house.

'Moony what's that about?' he asked, although he already knew the answer to his question.

Remus took a swig of pumpkin juice before responding. 'There was another attack, this one near Cokeworth,' he said grimly.

James sighed as he reached for the jam. 'So many attacks,' he muttered darkly.

Remus wasn't finished however.

'You should know James,' he said seriously. 'That Cokeworth is where Lily and Severus live.'

James dropped the jam with a loud clatter and stared at Remus in shock.

'Merlin, was it near where Lily lives?' he asked urgently, casting a glance in her direction.

Remus shook his head. 'It wasn't too close to where Lily _and _Severus live,' he said calmly. 'But I can tell that Lily was worried this morning.'

The rest of breakfast passed by painfully slowly, and it was with great relief that James ran off to the Quidditch pitch when it was over.

Sirius had insisted on joining them, but James secretively handed him the map. 'Why don't you go work on some extracurricular activities Sirius?' he said with a wink.

Sirius' face brightened and he hurried off to the common room with Remus and Peter in tow.

James met with Frank and Alice at the entrance hall and together, they made their way out to the pitch.

It was a beautiful autumn day outside, and the weather for the weekend was supposed to be nice as well, which was a good sign for trials.

James had decided against flying with his nimbus today, as he was planning on preserving its quality for the tryouts- and the season.

About ten minutes later, the three of them were finally in the air, whooping and hollering with delight.

Neither Frank nor Alice had ridden a broom all summer, and both were now appreciating the feeling to the fullest as they zoomed around the pitch. James on the other hand, had ridden his broomstick nearly every day of the summer, but still found excitement bubbling in the pit of his stomach every time he took off into the sky.

'Let's see how rusty you are Dearborn,' he called out to her. Alice and Frank flew towards him.

'I'm ready for anything, any drill,' Alice said with determination. Frank laughed and clapped her on the back.

'That's the spirit,' he said encouragingly.

James smiled as well, but shook his head. 'I don't think doing drills the day before trials is a good idea,' he said.

Alice frowned, 'What are we going to do then?' she asked. Frank looked puzzled as well.

James held up a crate of balls. 'Let's play Quidditch,' he said with a smirk, and with a tug at the sides, he released the quaffles, bludgers and snitch into the pitch.

For an hour or so, they played a game of 1 on 1 on 1, where each person fended for himself or herself and tried to score on the same hoop.

At first, the others had failed to see the point of James' idea, but then Frank had noted with a look of understanding crossing his features that this forced them to be more wary of their surroundings, as they now had two people to look out for, and no beaters to protect them from the bludgers.

An hour later, they were all physically drained and exhausted, but mentally, James felt they were all ready for tomorrow's trials.

'Let's call it a day,' he suggested. 'We don't want to overwork ourselves before tomorrow.'

Frank and Alice nodded in agreement and they descended onto the ground, where they stowed the Quidditch balls and their old broomsticks in the shed, and began the walk up to the castle.

Seeing the Quidditch shed had reminded James of an incident the previous year when they had caught a group of Slytherins tampering with the Gryffindor Quidditch gear.

When he pointed this out to Frank and Alice, they both laughed at the memory.

'One thing I'll never forget,' chuckled Frank as they entered the castle, 'is the look on Avery's face when Alice hexed him.'

Alice turned red but smiled bashfully. 'He deserved it,' she said firmly, before dissolving into giggles once more.

They were nearing the common room when James saw Remus exiting the portrait hole. He was noticeably paler than usual and had dark circles underneath his eyes. He looked like he hadn't slept in days.

With a pang, James realized that tonight was most likely a full moon. He excused himself from Alice and Frank and jogged over to meet Remus.

'Back already?' Remus managed a small smile.

James nodded, 'You going out tonight to uh… check on your mother?' he added quickly as Frank and Alice shot them curious looks as they entered the portrait hole.

Remus' face darkened for a moment before he nodded in assent.

James felt a wave of guilt and self-loathing. In his excitement over Quidditch, he had completely forgotten about Remus' monthly problem.

This had evidently revealed itself on his face because Remus clapped a hand to his shoulder bracingly.

'There's nothing you can do for me James,' he said softly. 'The fact that you, Sirius and Peter didn't abandon me as your friend is more than I could ever ask for.'

James swallowed the lump in his throat but nodded. Remus smiled sorrowfully.

'I'm heading to the library now, but Sirius and Peter are still inside. They've made a lot of progress on the project,' he added.

For a while after Remus walked away, James stood in the same spot staring at where his friend had just been. If only there was a way he could help ease Remus' suffering once a month, even if it only helped a little…

Sighing with frustration, James finally mumbled the password to the Fat Lady, who swung open, allowing him to enter the common room.


	26. Trials and Friendships

**Trials and Friendships **

**A/N: To those of you who have recently favorited or added this story to your alert lists, thank you and welcome aboard!**

The next morning James woke up to the loud ringing of his alarm clock. He had set it to ring at 5:00 AM the night before, since Quidditch trials began at the break of dawn.

He reached over and shut it off before it could wake Sirius and Peter. Remus' bed was still empty.

Feeling rather energetic, James leapt out of bed and hastily began dressing in his Quidditch attire.

When he had finished dressing, he reached under his four-poster and pulled out his trunk, which contained his nimbus one thousand, one of the top racing brooms the wizarding world had to offer.

When James arrived in the common room, he saw that the only two people who had gotten up earlier than him were Dorcas Meadowes, a fourth year, and Dirk Cresswell, a seventh year and captain of the Gryffindor squad.

'Up early today, Potter?' Dorcas greeted him briskly.

'I couldn't sleep,' James grinned as he took a seat next to them on the couch. Cresswell glanced out of the window and smiled.

'The forecast held out pretty well,' he commented. 'Perfect day for flying.'

They sat in comfortable silence for a while. Dorcas was trimming some split ends on her broom and Cresswell closed his eyes and hummed to himself.

Fifteen minutes later, Alice came trudging down the stairs with her broomstick.

'Morning,' she yawned, rubbing her eyes. 'Why are tryouts so early in the morning?' she asked.

Cresswell flashed her a smile, 'We've got to see which rookies aren't ready for this,' he said smoothly. Alice flushed, but didn't say anything as she took a seat next to James.

A moment later, Frank appeared at the foot of the stairs. Like James, he was already dressed to fly.

'All right let's go then,' said Cresswell. 'The others are heavy sleepers, so they'll be there by six.'

'Sounds like someone I know,' muttered Dorcas.

Cresswell winked at James. 'Now that I'm captain, I can't do that anymore,' he said cheerfully.

James exited the common room with the others, chatting excitedly with Frank and Alice as they made their way down to the pitch.

Sure enough, they were the first ones who had arrived. The sun wasn't completely out yet, and the horizon gleamed with a faint red blush. The air was cool, but there was no sign of wind. It really was a perfect morning for flying.

'Honestly,' Dorcas said, looking rather annoyed. 'It's the day of trials, can't they be here early for once?'

Cresswell patted her on the back bracingly as she fumed.

They chatted together for a little longer before the first group of stragglers began making their way onto the pitch.

'Hey there captain,' came a loud voice from behind James.

He turned and saw a pair of twins with long red hair, who looked so identical they might have been clones of each other.

'It's about time you two showed up!' snapped Dorcas.

She pointed a finger at the twin on the left. 'Fabian, didn't you tell me you would show more dedication this year?' she demanded.

The twins looked at each other and smirked. 'Whose she talking to, Fabian?' asked the twin Dorcas had pointed to.

'I thought for sure you'd be able to tell us apart by now,' the other twin sighed dramatically.

Dorcas wavered, looking puzzled. 'I thought you were Fabian,' she said blankly.

The twins rolled their eyes, 'Nah, easy mistake Meadowes, I'm Gideon.'

Dorcas huffed and turned to Cresswell. 'Let's just get warmed-up, I'm sick of waiting,' she said.

The twins made their way over to where James stood with Frank. They both held out their hands.

'Your James Potter, correct?' one of them asked him. James nodded as he and Frank shook their hands.

'Yeah I am, how'd you know?' he asked curiously.

'We have our ways,' said the twin that had been speaking with Dorcas.

James laughed, 'You're Gideon prewett… right?' he asked. The twins laughed again and mounted their brooms in unison.

'I'm really Fabian,' he smirked and they shot off into the sky, ignoring Dorcas' yells for them to wait.

Frank raised his eyebrows. 'Interesting pair, those two,' he commented.

James chuckled, 'Yeah, I think I could get along with them,' he said.

Frank's eyes widened suddenly, 'Well that's unusual,' he said slowly.

James turned around and realized that in the time they had spent talking to each other, the pitch had filled up with around twenty other Gryffindors who were looking to try out.

What Frank was referring to however, was the stands. James saw a small section of red and gold clad Gryffindors who were cheering for their friends, and a section of green clad Slytherins on the other end of the stadium. The Slytherins were booing them loudly.

'All right everyone,' Cresswell waved his arms for attention. 'We're going to start out with a quick warm up lap.'

James grinned, 'Easy start,' he said to Frank.

Soon, he saw just why Cresswell had decided to start with a simple lap. Half of the people who had showed up couldn't even get off the ground, let alone fly hundreds of meters into the air.

Dorcas quickly sent those people back to the castle looking rather dejected.

'Honestly why do they even bother showing up…' she muttered under her breath. She raised her wand to her throat.

'All right I want five people on a squad…beaters you can release the bludgers, now let me see what you Chaser's have got!'

James noticed that Dirk Cresswell was lounging on a bench on the ground and laughed to himself. Dorcas should be the captain, he thought.

James, Frank and a sixth year named Tiberius took to the air as the balls were let loose into the sky. They had one of the Prewett twins on their squad as beater and Dorcas was their keeper.

The other squad consisted of Cresswell and two other seventh years as chasers, the other twin as their beater, and a fifth year named Roland Johnson as their keeper.

'Hey captain what's up with these squads?' James heard Tiberius yell. 'Your whole team is basically seventh years!'

Cresswell floated leisurely on his broom, 'I thought it'd be interesting to see who does well against adversity, McLaggen,' he drawled, shutting McLaggen up.

The Prewett twin on James' team, Fabian, smacked his bat against his hand.

'I've always enjoyed playing the part of the underdog,' he said with a sly smile. 'Potter, Longbottom just focus on scoring as many goals as possible,' he instructed.

James caught Frank's eye and grinned. 'Let's show them how to fly Longbottom,' he said and they took off.

The mini-game was intense. The older players moved around faster than James would have expected, but he wasn't fazed.

A minute into the game, Frank intercepted the quaffle and threw it into James' hands.

James hugged the quaffle to his chest, leaned low on his broom and shot off towards the goal posts.

'Watch out for the bludger!' he heard Dorcas shout from behind him.

Displaying incredible reflexes, James flipped underneath his broomstick, avoiding the bludger. Fabian appeared out of nowhere yelling wildly. With a mighty swing, he sent the bludger flying back towards the other end of the pitch.

A seventh year chaser then tried to bump James off of his broom from the side, but James was too quick for him.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Frank tailing him. He faked a shot and handed the quaffle to Frank, who deposited it into the goal for their first points.

James and Frank high-fived as they flew back.

'Nice pass,' Franks said appreciatively.

'We're not done yet,' James said with a smile.

Fifteen minutes later, Cresswell blew his whistle and ended the game.

James and Frank's squad had edged the older squad by a margin of five goals. Some of the seventh years had some veteran savvy in their games, but the chemistry between James and Frank was clearly a strong upside. Cresswell didn't appear to have been trying very hard at all.

'Stay where you are,' Dorcas yelled. 'Now can we have the two seekers come and join us!'

Alice stood up along with an older girl, and together they flew up to join the game.

'You would be Alice dearborn right? You're on my squad,' said Dorcas.

Alice flew over to James and Frank, high fiving them both as she did so.

'Feel good?' James asked.

Alice nodded, looking confident. 'I'll show you that all that practice we did hasn't gone to waste,' she declared.

Cresswell blew his whistle and the game started up again, with the seekers now in the mix. Alice flew high above the rest of them, scouring the pitch for the snitch.

James turned to Frank. 'Just keep doing what we're doing and score as many goals as possible,' he shouted.

Frank nodded in assent, and they sped off once again.

At that moment, one of the seventh year Chasers was closing in on their goal and James made to go back to help.

'KEEP FLYING POTTER!' Dorcas bellowed and proceeded to perform an eye popping save where she grabbed her broom and swung under it 360 degrees, kicking the quaffle into the air. Then, displaying incredible strength, she immediately turned and chucked it the length of the pitch and right into a streaking James' hands.

James faked right and flew left, before hitting Frank with a fancy behind the back pass for another goal.

There was a chorus of 'oohs' and 'aahs' from the Gryffindor section of the stands at Dorcas' keeping skills and the teamwork of James and Frank. The Slytherins were booing, but the cheers from the Gryffindors drowned them all out.

James moved in to high-five Frank when something caught his eye. He stared at the Gryffindor section and felt his jaw drop.

Lily Evans was sitting in the top row. The person seated next to her was none other than Severus Snape, and they were speaking to each other happily, as though their fight had never occurred.

During his moment of distraction, a bludger smacked by Gideon whizzed towards him and found its mark.

James was lifted off of his broom by the impact and began to fall.

'Potter!' Dorcas yelled. 'Somebody, catch him!'

The crowd gasped in fear and then amazement as James managed to grab onto his broomstick with his feet. He hauled himself back onto his broom and heaved a sigh.

'That was a close call,' he murmured. He turned back to the stands.

Lily had her hands over her mouth, and Snape looked incredibly disappointed.

James smirked to himself. He knew Severus Snape would have sold his entire collection of empty shampoo bottles just to see him fall off of his broom in front of the crowd.

Unfortunately for him, James had no intentions of making a fool out of himself.

Frank flew to his side. 'Ready?' he asked with a confident smile. 'Of course,' James replied.

The rest of the scrimmage was a rather one-sided scoring barrage led by James and Frank. Dorcas continued to make incredible saves and the Prewett twins were viciously trying to take each other off of their brooms.

Cresswell had also decided to try a little harder, and he single-handedly scored the last seven goals for his squad, although they were still down by a landslide.

The score was 210- 90 when they all stopped playing to watch as the two seekers suddenly dove into a steep dive.

James saw the snitch fluttering near the ground and yelled, 'stick close to your broom Dearborn!'

It was clear that Alice was the lighter, quicker flyer, although the other seeker was much larger and kept trying to bump her off balance.

James grit his teeth in anticipation. In the past, Alice would have been unable to control her speed, least of all in a nearly vertical dive. However, after a year of practicing, James noted that Alice maintained her low posture throughout the dive, all the way until they were practically at the ground.

The older seeker seemed to become wary of the impact as she slowed down considerably. The Gryffindor spectators gasped as Alice sped up, just feet from the ground.

'Alice watch out!' Frank shouted.

The crowd gasped in appreciation as Alice displayed amazing control and pulled her broom up before it reached the ground, reaching out and catching the snitch as she did so.

Cresswell blew his whistle. With a smile on his face he signaled the end of trials.

James made his way over to Alice and Frank, who was congratulating her on her catch.

'That was beautiful Alice!' he exclaimed. 'And you said you weren't ready yesterday.'

Alice beamed at them both. 'I couldn't have done it without you guys' help,' she said gratefully.

Cresswell raised his wand and magically amplified his voice.

'The results will be posted by tomorrow in the common room. You lot can go and eat now, everyone here deserves a good break.'

The Prewett twins each placed an arm around Cresswell's shoulders and pointed their wands at their throats as well.

'We would like to extend,' began Fabian. 'A warm welcome to our guests,' Gideon sniggered.

In unison, the twins pointed their wands up and jets of red and gold shot out into the sky, forming the large words, 'SLYTHERIN SHOULD TAKE NOTES.'

The Slytherins in the stands began yelling and jeering at them in anger. James took particular note of Lily and Snape's reaction to the words.

Lily was eyeing the twins with a look of disapproval mingled with amusement while Snape caught James' eye and scowled.

James smirked right back at him before Snape turned and began speaking to Lily.

As James and the others made their way into the showers, he couldn't help but feel his spirits sink slightly.

The trials had gone extremely well and Alice's practice had paid off when it counted. So why didn't he feel amazing like he wanted to? What was he missing?

As the water sprinkled against his dirt-covered face, James sighed heavily, wondering what had caused the renewal of Lily and Snape's friendship.


	27. Ambushes and Resentment

**Ambushes and Resentment**

James met with Sirius, Remus and Peter just outside of the locker rooms and together they made their way up to the castle. Sirius was waving his arms excitedly as he reenacted some of James and Frank's plays, while James, Peter and Remus watched in amusement.

Several third year girls passing by them began to giggle uncontrollably at Sirius' antics. He paused his reenactments for a moment to flash them a winning smile, making them burst out laughing as they ran off.

'Hurry up Romeo,' chided Remus, as Sirius caught up to them. 'You're just jealous Moony,' he teased.

James' stomach growled loudly and he burst out laughing with his friends. 'Sounds like our Quidditch star is feeling rather peckish,' said Remus. 'Why don't we stop by the kitchens?'

'Did Loony Moony just decide to break a rule?' Sirius cried dramatically as he pretended to faint.

Remus flushed as they entered the castle. 'I've broken a rule or two in the past,' he muttered, mostly to himself.

In their first-year, the boys had discovered one of Hogwart's best, and ironically most easily accessible secrets, the school kitchen. The kitchen was located near the Hufflepuff common room, behind a giant painting of fruit. James had found that all one had to do was tickle the pear in the painting, and the frame would swing open, allowing entry into the kitchen.

When they arrived at the painting, James reached up and tickled the pear. The frame swung open and the four boys sighed in unison as they were met with the delicious aromas of the house elves' cooking.

'I really missed this,' Sirius said happily as the house elves bustled around, making them each something to eat. 'After a summer of eating Kreacher's food, this is paradise.'

'Whose Kreacher?' James asked as they sat at a table. Sirius' expression darkened.

'My family's house elf,' he muttered. 'Bloody nuisance… always telling me I should just lock myself in a closet and never come out.'

James was spared from responding when his stomach rumbled again, and he gratefully accepted a generous serving of roast beef and potatoes. Sirius had surrounded himself with a mountain of éclairs and pastries and had already bitten into his fifth sweet by the time Remus' sandwich arrived. Peter wasn't as hungry as the others and seemed content to nibble on some corn on the cob.

James leaned back in his seat when he was finished and let out a loud belch. 'That hit the spot,' he murmured.

Sirius was shoving as many pastries as he could fit into a brown paper bag that a house elf had given him. Remus shook his head disapprovingly at the sight. 'You know you can always just come back tomorrow instead of hoarding food,' he commented. Sirius stuck his tongue out at Remus as James and Peter laughed.

Now that he had filled his stomach, James felt much more energized. 'Fancy a little exploring?' he asked as he stretched. Remus and Sirius' heads shot up at the suggestion. Remus looked uncertain while Sirius looked ecstatic.

'James, it's barely past noon on a Sunday,' Remus said slowly. 'It would be really hard to avoid so many people under the invisibility cloak.'

James shook his head. 'Not if no one suspects us we won't be,' he said. 'We only need the invisibility cloak at night because we'd be violating curfew… if we're exploring in broad daylight, we could easily just say we were taking a walk or something.'

Remus seemed to accept James' reasoning and they left the kitchens. As they walked, James pointed out that their map didn't cover very much of the fourth floor corridors, so they decided to head there first for some scouring.

The fourth floor was normally quieter than the rest of the school, most likely due to the numerous empty classrooms on the floor where the only residents were Peeves and Mrs. Norris. A staircase on the right end of the corridor they stood in led to the hospital wing.

'Not much up here is there?' Sirius commented as they strolled through the empty corridor. 'No wonder no one every comes up here.' Peter cleared his throat. 'Some people come up here sometimes,' he said quietly.

They all turned to him. He flushed slightly but continued, 'to cry,' he said.

'Ah,' said James as Sirius rolled his eyes. 'I guess this would be the ideal place to hide from everyone.'

He noticed Remus peeking into a seemingly empty classroom just ahead. 'Found something?' he asked.

Remus tipped the door open and they entered the room. It was incredibly dusty, and there were heaps and piles of used parchment and books scattered throughout. Several desks had been tipped over and were lying on their sides, and the entire room gave off a foul, musty odor that made James want to puke.

Sirius and Peter entered next and immediately recoiled.

'Bloody hell,' Sirius muttered, scrunching up his nose. 'Let's get out of here.'

James was looking at Remus. 'Moony did you find something interesting in here or what?' he asked. Remus was taking in the room with interest.

'It's probably nothing,' he said quietly. 'I just thought I heard something in here.'

James glanced around. As far as he could tell, the room was empty except for them. He pointed this out to Remus, but he did not respond.

'Remus?' James asked, turning back to his friend.

Remus was staring into a broken mirror across the room, and his face had gone pale. '_James_ _look ou_-!'

For a split second, James saw a glint of red in the mirror before he was blown backwards by something that knocked the wind out of him. He slammed into a bookshelf and felt the impact of many thick books falling on top of him. Groaning, he climbed back to his feet and whipped out his wand.

He saw that Sirius and Remus also had their wands out. Peter was frozen in place looking absolutely terrified.

'All right James?' Sirius shouted over the ruckus. He turned back to the door and his face suddenly contorted with pure rage.

James could just barely make out the outlines of several people standing in the doorway. He put his glasses back onto his face.

When the dust cleared, James realized that standing in the front of the group, was Severus Snape.

Mulciber and Avery, who both wore identical sneers of triumph, flanked his sides. However, it was the presence of the boy in the back that surprised James.

It was Regulus Black.

'What do you think you're doing Reg?' Sirius growled as he raised his wand threateningly. Regulus seemed to hesitate for a moment before he put on a cold smirk.

'I don't have to answer a blood-traitor's question,' he said loftily.

James turned his wand on Regulus.

'You prat, don't speak to your brother like that!' he snapped. Sirius had narrowed his eyes in anger.

'I didn't think you would sink that low Reg,' he snarled. 'You came because you wanted a piece of me right?'

Regulus backed up a step at the icy glare Sirius was giving him. Sirius stepped forward, 'come get some then! Isn't that what your mum and dad would want?!'

'They're your parents too!' Regulus blurted out, and for a moment James thought he looked just like a lonely child.

The moment passed however, when Sirius leapt onto him with a howl, wand forgotten, and the brothers began a spirited tussle on the floor.

James saw Snape point his wand at Sirius' back and reacted quickly.

'_Stupefy!' _he yelled. Snape was forced to deflect his stunner, giving Remus time to back up Sirius. 'Don't worry about us James!' he shouted as he began to duel Avery. 'Just focus on Severus!'

Snape was grinning like a madman. 'You heard him Potter,' he drawled. 'Just you and me.'

'I wonder what Evans would think if she heard about this,' James said coolly as he raised his wand.

Snape's face contorted into an ugly grimace.

'Do NOT speak of things you don't understand!' he snarled and he sent a curse at James, who ducked just in time. James retaliated with his own hex, which forced Snape to dive into the pile of books as he avoided it.

James took the opportunity to glance around. Remus and Avery seemed to be evenly matched, but now Mulciber had joined the fray and it was clear that Remus was losing ground fast as he dueled two people at once.

Sirius on the other hand, had Regulus in a headlock and was slamming his head into the bookshelf, punctuating each blow with a word.

'WHY-DON'T-YOU-GO-BACK-HOME-ICKLE-REGGIE?!' he shouted.

Regulus seemed to have passed out already as his body became limp.

'SIRIUS LEAVE HIM BE, REMUS NEEDS HELP!' James shouted.

Snape had gotten to his feet by now and he seemed to be preparing for another spell.

James shot another stunner at him and watched with satisfaction as it hit a pile of books on the other bookshelf, which toppled onto Snape's head. Snape staggered slightly but rebounded quickly, catching James off guard with a stunner of his own.

James dove to the ground and winced in pain as he landed awkwardly on an overturned desk.

Snape was advancing on him now, a wild gleam in his dark eyes. 'How does it feel,' he whispered. 'To be the one on the ground Potter?'

James pushed himself up on one knee. 'What would Evans say Snivellus?' he repeated coolly, ignoring the pain in his side.

Snape jabbed his wand at James' face. 'What she doesn't know won't hurt her,' he snarled. There was a brief flash of white light and James suddenly felt a searing pain in his right cheek. He reached up and felt his face; his hand came back soaked with a dark red liquid.

Sirius and Remus were staring at him in shock. James didn't even register Mulciber, Avery and Regulus lying unconscious on the floor. His mind was focused on the sallow-faced boy standing before him.

His eyes glinted dangerously, 'So you want to play that way, _Snivellus,' _he snarled.

Right as James had leapt to his feet however, his wand jerked out of his fingertips, along with the wands of Snape, Sirius and Remus. They soared high into the air and landed right into the hands of a livid Professor McGonagall.

Her mouth had all but disappeared into a straight line, and her eyes flashed dangerously.

'_What is going on here?' _she demanded.

Slowly, Sirius raised a finger and pointed at James. 'I think we should get James some help first,' he said.

Professor McGonagall's eyes landed on James' cheek and widened considerably. '_Potter, what on earth?' _She stared at him in shock for a moment before coming to her senses.

'Black, Lupin, Pettigrew, take Potter to the infirmary please, he needs immediate attention. Snape, you will go back to your dormitory for now. Details of your punishments will be delayed until I get a _full explanation_ from each of you.'

With that, Professor McGonagall swept out of the room, levitating the bodies of Mulciber, Avery, and Regulus.

Sirius looked like he wanted to say something but McGonagall ushered them out as well.

'Go to the infirmary,' she repeated sternly.

They walked to the hospital wing in silence. James' cheek was beginning to feel numb; perhaps Snape had cut straight through it? He couldn't tell but perhaps if he felt it with his tongue? James did that and tasted blood.

When they arrived, Madame Pomfrey stared at James' wound incredulously for a moment before setting of to work cleaning and healing James' cheek. As she was wiping the blood around the cut, she demanded to know how that had happened.

James told her it was a Quidditch accident and she said no more.

They managed to remain silent until they finally returned to the common room, at which point Sirius let out a lengthy chorus of profanity. Even Remus looked livid, as he paced back and forth in front of the fireplace.

James was unusually quiet as he sat staring into the flames.

'-just ambushing us like that and they don't even get a detention?' Remus was saying. Sirius threw himself onto the seat across from James.

'A detention isn't going to do it for me,' he snarled. 'Snape almost killed James!'

In need of someone to vent on, Sirius rounded on Peter. 'Thanks for your help,' he snapped. Peter looked scandalized. 'I hexed Mulciber and Avery!' he said defensively.

Sirius snorted, 'yeah after we knocked them out,' he muttered.

Remus held up a hand. 'Enough,' he said firmly. 'Let's not fight amongst ourselves, we still need to explain what happened to Professor McGonagall.'

At that moment, Alice and Lily came down from the girl's dormitory. Alice waved at them and walked over, Lily grudgingly following behind her. They stopped in their tracks when they took in their expressions.

'Uh, am I missing something?' Alice asked, looking to Frank for assistance as he came down the boy's staircase.

'You don't want to know,' snapped Sirius.

Alice raised her eyebrows. 'I was just worried,' she said defensively.

Remus sighed. 'Sirius, they weren't even involved so don't be angry with them as well,' he said.

Sirius looked slightly ashamed of his outburst. 'Sorry Dearborn, I'm just in a really bad mood right now so don't take it personally,' he murmured. Alice accepted his apology and took a seat next Frank on a nearby couch.

Lily leaned forward curiously. 'So what's got you lot all riled up?' she asked innocently.

James met her gaze and suddenly felt rather irritated with her. He knew that Lily didn't even know what had just happened, but the fact that she was friends with somebody like Snape pissed him off to no end. Before he even knew what he was saying, the words began to spew from his mouth.

'It's none of your business Evans,' he snapped, causing the others to stare at him in surprise.

Lily looked highly affronted. 'Well sorry for worrying Potter,' she muttered.

James stood up. 'Yeah, don't bother worrying next time, just go back to frolicking around the school with Snivellus like you always do,' he muttered.

On that note, he went up the staircase to the boys dormitories, followed a second later by Sirius, leaving Lily standing there looking stunned and confused.


	28. Mops and Resolve

**Mops and Resolve**

James, Sirius, Remus and Peter stood in front of Professor McGonagall as she handed them their detention slips.

'I will ask you one more time… do you understand that dueling is prohibited in these hallways?' she asked them sternly.

'What if we didn't use our wands?' Sirius muttered under his breath.

Unfortunately McGonagall heard him. 'I'm afraid _beating _someone unconscious is also a severe offense Mr. Black,' she snapped.

James raised his head. 'What about the Slytherins who attacked us, are you just going to let them off?' he asked.

Professor McGonagall turned to face him. 'They are with Professor Slughorn, as he is their house head,' she said slowly.

Sirius looked aghast. 'But you know he'll believe any story they tell him!' McGonagall raised her eyebrows.

'Professor' he added sheepishly.

Professor McGonagall shook her head. 'I'm afraid I have no control over these matters,' she said curtly. 'Perhaps you should consider the repercussions of your thoughtless actions in the future.'

'We were defending ourselves, how is that a thoughtless action?' James demanded furiously.

Professor McGonagall finally seemed to have had enough. 'Go back to your common room immediately!' she snapped.

Fuming, James stormed out of her classroom, followed by Sirius, Remus and Peter. As soon as they were out of earshot, they burst into remonstration.

'I can't believe her!' blurted Sirius. 'Giving us detentions for _self-defense_?' He unrolled his detention slip and read it. His eyes narrowed as they swept over the parchment. When he finished reading, he crumbled it in disgust.

'And now she's making me sort out rotten flobberworms with Slughorn tomorrow evening!' he grouched.

James glanced at his own detention slip. He had been given the not so enviable task of cleaning the trophy room.

'Remus, Peter, where are your detentions?' he asked. When he was met with silence, he looked up.

Remus and Peter were staring at their slips sheepishly.

'Well?' prodded Sirius. Remus held up his slip. 'We're both helping Hagrid plant some pumpkins for the Halloween feast.' He said.

James and Sirius stared at him incredulously. 'That's getting off easy mate,' Sirius groaned. 'I'd take that any day of the week over sorting rotten flobberworms!'

Remus and Peter both pretended to look ashamed.

The following evening, the four boys headed out of the common room at seven and walked in silence to the entrance hall. They split up there, with Remus and Peter heading outside to Hagrid's cabin.

James ascended the marble staircase to the trophy room and Sirius went downstairs into the dungeons.

'Oi James,' he called before he disappeared. James raised his eyebrows.

'The mirror!' Sirius mouthed. James grinned and pulled out a hand-sized mirror from his pocket.

Last Christmas, Sirius had gotten his hands on a pair of mirrors that were somehow magically connected to one another. All one had to do was say the other owner's name and they could speak to each other face to face through the mirror.

James reached the fourth floor corridor for the second time that day and made his way to the trophy room.

If possible, it was even dustier than the room they had fought the Slytherins in. James buried his nose in his shirt as he made his way to the mops and rags in the corner. 'No wonder people always have to clean here for detentions,' he thought to himself.

As he walked by them, James read the inscription on the dusty old trophies, belonging to people and events that James didn't care very much about.

He had no sooner reached out for a mop than he heard a squeal from behind him. He whipped around and felt his jaw drop. Lily Evans was standing there, a rag in her hand, as she stared at him with barely disguised loathing.

'_Evans?' _James said in shock. 'What are you doing here?'

Lily straightened herself up and returned to her task of wiping a rather large trophy.

A thought crossed James' mind and he suddenly burst out laughing. Lily looked scandalized.

'What?' she scowled at him.

James took off his glasses and wiped the tears from his eyes. 'You're telling me that _Lily Evans_, miss perfect in all of her classes… is serving a detention?'

Lily glared daggers at him. 'It's none of your business,' she said coldly, throwing James' own words back at him.

James wet his rag and began scrubbing along with her. 'Evans, I saw you barely twenty minutes ago in the common room… how on earth did you manage to earn a detention in that period of time?'

He raised his hands when Lily shot him another glare. 'I swear I'm not making fun, I was just curious,' he said.

To his surprise, Lily actually responded.

'I- I saw Mulciber and Avery coming out of Professor Slughorn's classroom,' she began and James stopped scrubbing to listen.

'They seemed to be in a really bad mood and started hexing some first-years that were passing by,' she continued.

James nodded, a grin forming on his face. 'So what did miss future-head girl do?' he teased. Lily flushed but charged forward.

'I disarmed Mulciber and sent Avery to the hospital wing with boils.' She moaned and smacked herself on the forhead. 'It was incredibly stupid… I could have just called for a teacher and now look at me,' James snickered at Lily's crestfallen expression.

'Wow, I didn't know you had it in you Evans,' he said, impressed in spite of himself. 'Disarming's not usually taught until second-year.'

Lily drew herself up to her full height.

'Yes well, just because I'm muggle-born doesn't mean I'm not a witch,' she said defiantly. 'Some people don't seem to realize that so I thought I'd show them.'

She turned on James.

'Why are _you _here Potter?' she asked suspiciously. 'Don't tell me you pranked Sev again?'

James' eyes narrowed at the mention of Snape, and he unconsciously reached up to feel his cheek.

'I thought I told you that it's none of your business,' he said. Lily's jaw dropped. 'I just told you the reason I'm here— you tricked me!' she spluttered.

James sighed. 'Right, I'm sorry about earlier,' he said shortly as he returned to wiping. 'I was in a foul mood.'

Lily placed her hands on her hips. 'And let me ask you once more, does that foul mood have anything to do with Sev? Because if it is-'

'Bloody hell Evans, not everything I say is some kind of indirect insult towards Snivellus!' he exploded.

'You always bully him!' Lily shot back. 'He's never done anything to deserve that from you!' James took a step forward.

'Oh actually I would say that he most certainly _has _done something to deserve it,' he snarled.

Lily scoffed, 'like what?'

'All right then,' James snapped. 'If you really want to know, the reason I'm here scrubbing trophies with you, and Sirius is sorting out flobberworms is that we were attacked by some Slytherins earlier today.'

Lily stared at him, her hands falling to her sides. 'You were _attacked?' _she said disbelievingly.

James ignored her and continued angrily. 'It was Mulciber, Avery, Sirius' younger brother, and guess who else? Your friend _Sev,' _he said savagely. 'You said you saw Mulciber and Avery earlier and they were both in a foul mood right? That's because _they _ambushed _us, _and _we won.' _

James began scrubbing another trophy furiously. 'Believe what you want Evans, but your friend is no angel,' he snapped.

They worked in silence for what seemed like hours. James' arm was beginning to smart from all the scrubbing and he glanced out the window. The sky was dark already, meaning it was well past eight. Dinner was probably over by now.

He turned and noticed that Lily was massaging her right arm with a grimace. 'I think we're done,' he said softly. Lily grunted and they deposited the mops back into the corner and left the room.

James stretched as he walked. Lily hadn't said anything since his outburst and he felt more than a little uncomfortable with her silence.

By the time they reached the end of the corridor, James couldn't stand it anymore.

'Look Evans-' 'Potter you-'

They stared at each other for a moment. James motioned for her to go first. Lily swallowed.

'You said Sev and his friends attacked you,' she murmured, trying to keep her voice down. James nodded. 'Me, Sirius, Remus and Peter actually.'

Lily bit her lip. 'How do I know you're not lying?' she asked.

James shrugged, 'You could always just take my word for it?' he suggested and Lily snorted.

'Sorry but you and I aren't exactly bound together by trust,' she said sarcastically.

James sighed. 'You're right, you never believe what I say anyway,' 'not an insult,' he added hastily at the look on her face.

James placed his hands in his pockets as they walked. 'You could just ask Remus,' he said finally. 'You two get along well don't you?'

Lily stopped in her tracks. 'That's right,' she breathed. 'Remus would never lie!'

Her face clouded over for a moment and James had to strain his ears to make out what she said, 'except for that one night when he was _visiting his mum.' _

She seemed to realize what she was saying and clapped a hand to her mouth, staring at James.

'What about Remus' mum?' James asked suspiciously. They were getting into dangerous territory now and if he wasn't careful, Lily might realize something was wrong about that story.

'It's nothing,' Lily covered hastily. 'I mean it's none of your business.'

They had reached the portrait hole and James said the password. He stepped aside, allowing Lily to enter first before he followed through himself.

Sirius was waiting for him on a sofa, his mirror in hand. He leapt to his feet when James entered.

'OI what happened to using your mirror?' he asked. He suddenly realized who James was with and understanding dawned on his features.

'Say no more,' he smirked. 'So how was your detention?' he asked as Lily went up to the girl's dormitories.

James told him about his conversation with Lily. When he was finished Sirius had a scowl on his face.

'I really hope she ask Remus one of these days.' He muttered. 'Snivellus could use a bit more frostiness from her.' But James' mind was focused on what Lily had said about Remus' lies.

James felt a wave of sympathy for his friend. He could scarcely imagine the fear Remus would feel if Lily or anyone else found out about his secret.

'Sirius,' he said slowly, 'I'm thinking that we need to find a way to help Remus with his er… furry little problem. You with me?'

Sirius looked up from the fireplace, the burning red embers reflecting in his eyes.

'That was never the question mate,' he said firmly, 'but _how _do we help him?'


	29. Rosters and Retribution

**Rosters and Retribution**

'James, the list is up!' Frank exclaimed as he burst into the dormitory, red-faced and excited.

James sat up on his bed, all thoughts about Lily and Remus gone from his mind. 'The Quidditch roster?' he asked eagerly. Frank nodded, 'C'mon let's go check!'

James threw a pair trousers on over his boxers and hurried down the stairs. There was already a small crowd around the board, and James pushed and prodded his way through to the front.

'There you are Potter!' said Dorcas Meadowes, joining him in front of the sheet. You and Longbottom both made the squad as Chasers.'

James and Frank clapped each other on the back, wearing matching grins. James looked over the roster and saw that Dirk Cresswell was the third chaser of course, and the Prewett twins were returning as the beaters. He then scrolled his eyes down to the 'seeker' position.

'Alice made it!' Frank said giddily. 'Just wait until she finds out!'

James felt himself grinning widely. In better spirits than before, he made his way back to the dormitories to tell the others the news.

The weeks passed by quickly after the Quidditch rosters had been posted for each house, and the weather became progressively colder and windier as Halloween approached.

For the Marauder's however, the weeks leading up to Halloween were not spent frolicking around the courtyard or hexing random students in the hallways, but on planning their retribution against the Slytherins who had attacked them. Namely Mulciber, Avery, Rosier, Regulus and Snape.

Sirius had been the first one to suggest that they prank the Slytherins on Halloween night. He had explained some of his ideas to them in the dormitory and after they worked out some of the finer kinks, they were all satisfied with their work. Even Remus seemed excited to put their plans into action.

A week before the feast, their plans were further improved by the addition of the Prewett twins, who were notorious pranksters themselves. They had strolled in on James, Sirius, Remus and Peter discussing their prank in front of the fire one night, and demanded to be involved.

'Hmm,' said Gideon, raising an eyebrow as he looked over the parchment Remus was scribbling on. 'Not bad at all.' He handed the parchment to Fabian.

'I can't wait to see the looks on their faces,' Sirius cackled. 'They won't know what hit them!'

Fabian exchanged a glance with his twin, and then leaned forward. 'This is neat stuff,' he whispered with a weary look around the common room. 'But there are several parts to it that we believe could use a bit of… _revamping_, if you catch my drift,' he said with a glint in his eye.

And so, the Marauders formed an alliance with the Prewett twins and devoted all of their free time to the preparations. James and Sirius made good use of their map by setting aside locations for key parts of the prank. The twins found the map highly impressive and congratulated Remus, who flushed at the praise.

The twins themselves had said that they would take care of getting the materials, something that had worried James ever since they had begun planning. Where in the world would they get 'Filibuster's Fireworks,' or 'Friendly Fire' without leaving the castle? However, the twins simply grinned mysteriously and disappeared for a few hours, before returning with their arms laden with merchandise.

Remus had done most of the planning for the prank, so him and Peter were simply on look out duty, to avoid arousing suspicion from anyone else.

When they were finally satisfied with all preparations, the Prewetts instructed them not to speak to them on Halloween in order to avoid suspicion.

'Good luck chaps,' Fabian winked as they disappeared into the dormitories.

James, Sirius, Remus and Peter were the only four left in the common room now. James stared into the flames, feeling satisfied. If Snape wanted to play dirty, he should have realized that two could play that game, he thought with a smirk.

Halloween was always a massive occasion at Hogwarts. Students could never pay attention in class and the atmosphere was both chaotic and jovial. The professors had worked together to decorate the Great Hall with black and orange candles, floating pumpkin heads, and even a colony of bats that flew around the hall, screeching loudly. The corridors of the castle were also embellished with skeletons and bright orange lights that floated near the windows.

The exciting mood extended to the Gryffindor common room as well. After the last class of the day, the Gryffindors held something of a mini-party to 'warm up' for the feast.

James was chatting excitedly with Dorcas about the upcoming Quidditch season. On the other side of the room, Sirius was flirting with some third year girls—he kept running a hand through his wavy hair the same way James always did with his own hair, and James felt a mad urge to laugh.

'He's quite the charmer isn't he?' Dorcas commented. James chortled in response.

'Speaking of love, what do you think about those two?' Dorcas whispered as she pointed to a couch in front of the fire, where Frank and Alice were seated away from the rest of the commotion. They were speaking animatedly about something from the looks of it.

'Lovebirds if I've ever seen a pair,' Dorcas laughed. 'I wouldn't be surprised if they kissed by the end of the year, no—the Quidditch season,' she declared.

James chuckled, 'Actually, they aren't even going out—yet,' he said to a shocked look from Dorcas. 'What? I thought—I mean, just look at them!' she spluttered.

Alice was now laughing heartily at something Frank had said, and smacked him playfully on the arm.

James shrugged nonchalantly. 'Everyone goes by their own pace,' he said. 'Frank hasn't even admitted to us that he's sweet on her yet.'

Dorcas snorted, 'I don't know why he hasn't just gone and confessed already,' she muttered.

James sighed, 'I mean, take me and Evans. If you think Frank and Alice are slow, then what are we… snails trying to swim across an ocean?'

Dorcas laughed at his analogy and glanced over at Lily, who was speaking with Remus. 'Well for starters,' she said teasingly. 'Frank and Alice are clearly made for each other.'

James feigned offense. 'Me and Evans are perfect for each other!' he declared.

Dorcas rolled her eyes. 'You two seem to me at least, more like… polar opposites.' She said thoughtfully. 'But who knows,' she amended with a pat on his back. 'I'm starting to feel that I'll never be surprised by anything in this school.'

The Great Hall looked magnificent by the time the students made their way down and took their seats at the four tables. The professors had even enchanted the floating pumpkins and candles to spin around the hall, casting an eerie, flickering glow on the room. As the other second years stared around them in awe, James turned and caught Sirius' eye.

This was the moment they had been waiting for. James excused himself to go to the restroom, while Remus subtly flicked his wand at the pumpkins hovering above the Slytherin table, starting the timer.

Based on their observations, their Slytherin targets would most likely come down to the feast late. This gave the others time to acquaint themselves with those around them, so that if anyone were to ask later, James had been sitting innocently in the Great Hall all along.

When he was out in the corridor, James moved into a light jog down to the dungeons where the Slytherin common room was located, throwing on his invisibility cloak as he did so.

When he arrived at the common room, James stood to the side and waited. A few minutes later, he was just beginning to wonder if they were even going to attend the feast, when the door opened and Snape came sulking out, his greasy hair falling over his face.

James watched as Mulciber, Avery, Rosier and finally Regulus followed after him. As soon as the door shut closed with a loud bang, James whipped out his wand and pointed it at their backs.

He muttered the incantation and then whipped out his mirror. 'Sirius!' he whispered. Sirius' grinning face appeared on his mirror. 'Did you cast it?' he asked. James nodded.

'Right, I'll get going now then,' he said and disappeared.

James pulled off the invisibility cloak and said in a loud, clear voice. 'Where do you think you're going you gits?'

They whirled around at the sound of his voice.

'POTTER!' Snape's face contorted with fury. 'What do you think yo—'

He didn't have time to reply as he suddenly noticed something crawling up his robes.

'Severus you're on fire!' Regulus wailed. Bright red flames that had started at the hem of Snape's robes were now climbing their way up his sides. That was the friendly fire that the twins had procured from Hogsmeade.

'I noticed now help me put it out you dolt!' Snape said furiously as he stomped on his robes. James chanced a glance at the balcony and saw Sirius' mane of black hair disappear. He stifled a laugh and turned back on Snape.

'Feeling rather hot?' he goaded. Mulciber, Avery and Regulus suddenly found themselves on fire as well and Snape's face was turning purple with rage. '_You will pay for this Potter_!' he snarled. 'Just wait until I get my hands on you!'

James smiled coolly as he walked up to Snape. 'You know,' he said casually. 'That fire's not going to go out anytime soon.'

Snape ignored him and kept stomping on the flames to no avail.

James threw up his hands in mock frustration, 'I keep telling you Snivellus, it's no use. I charmed it to burn forever!'

For a moment, Snape looked fearful, but then his mouth twisted into a savage grin. 'You're bluffing,' he said coldly. 'You can't charm fire to last forever, that's against Gamp's Law!'

'Well I suppose I just broke that law. And now, there's only one-way to remove the flames,' he said.

Regulus looked terrified. 'Just tell us how to get rid of this fire!' he cried, ignoring Snape's glare.

'Ah, one of you actually knows common sense,' James smirked. 'You see it's really simple,' he said slowly. Regulus was leaning in to hear him.

James walked up to Snape. 'All you have to do is take a shower,' he said simply. 'Take a shower and you'll get rid of_ all_ that fire; if you're lucky, you might even get rid of that grease Snivellus!'

Snape spit at him but James nimbly stepped aside.

'Tut, tut, tut Snape, what would Evans say if she saw that?' he grinned. He got up in Snape's face, completely serious.

'Now you know what happens when you mess with the wrong blokes, _Snivellus.' _

He turned to the other Slytherins. 'Forgive me, but I'm afraid I can't entertain you for the rest of the night,' he said as the Prewett twins appeared out of nowhere, flying on school brooms.

'Ah look, your ride is here!'

Fabian and Gideon swooped in on the terrified Slytherins with menacing grins on their faces. They flicked their wands and the hands of Snape, Rosier, Mulciber, Avery and Regulus were suddenly tied to the backs of each of their broomsticks.

'Hey what are you—' Mulciber began but with a great whoop, the twins were off flying into the entrance hall, the hanging Slytherins screaming in fear and anger as they swung around precariously.

James wiped tears of laughter from his eyes as he sprinted into the Great Hall to witness the climax of their prank.

He was right on time; Fabian and Gideon had each pulled out a handful of Filibuster's Fireworks and with a spectacular _'bang!' _they flew into the stunned Great Hall with the Slytherins hanging on for dear life. Behind them, the array of fireworks morphed into the frightened visages of Snape and his gang, glowing bright red and gold.

James joined Sirius at his seat and they high-fived each other. Some people were on the ground, crying with mirth. Even Remus was guffawing at the sight. So much for avoiding suspicion, James thought as the Prewett's continued to race around the hall. He turned and saw the angry faces from the Slytherin table and couldn't suppress a grin.

'Oh well,' he thought to himself as Professor McGonagall swooped in on him. 'It was definitely worth a detention or two.'


	30. Repercussions and Issues

**Repercussions and Issues**

As expected, Professor McGonagall was practically speechless with fury at their prank. After calling them up to her office, James, Sirius, Remus, Peter and the Prewetts were forced to endure half an hour of her yelling at them to be 'better Gryffindors' for once and learning that they would all be serving more detentions. James was beginning to regret turning himself in by the time she was finished with them.

'_Unbelievable!'_ Professor McGonagall said furiously, looking as though she might pop a blood vessel. 'First the brawl with the Slytherins and now this, do you four have anything to say for yourselves?!'

She glared at them as the Prewett's exited her classroom.

James shifted uncomfortably in his chair. 'We just wanted to get payback for—'

'You wanted to get _payback?' _James didn't think McGonagall's lip could get any thinner. 'You humiliated five students and ruined the Halloween feast for a little _payback?'_

EvenSirius had the decency to look slightly ashamed. Peter had sunk so low in his seat that his bottom was no longer attached to his chair.

Professor McGonagall took a deep, shuddering breath. 'You each have a week's worth of detentions.' Nobody responded.

'And Mr. Potter,' she turned on him, 'I'm afraid you will not be taking part in the upcoming season opener against Slytherin,' she said shortly.

James felt the bottom drop out of his stomach at McGonagall's words. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, but couldn't seem to utter any form of protest.

McGonagall waved them off briskly. 'Reflect on what you have done. I hope that I won't have to deal with this selfishness from you all again.'

She slammed the door in their faces.

James turned to Sirius, whose shocked expression mirrored his own.

'She- she _can't _do that!' he exclaimed. 'Without James we could lose—I'll make her see sense…'

Sirius made to knock on McGonagall's door again but Remus held him back, shaking his head. 'We were caught, and we got punished,' he said simply. 'Better to just deal with the detentions than make things worse.'

James stared at the floor as they trudged back to the common room. Humiliating Snape and his gang had certainly been extremely satisfying… but was the price worth it? James had initially thought so, but he had never anticipated that McGonagall might actually take him out of the first Quidditch match he would ever play in. James didn't even want to think about how Dorcas would react when she heard that one of their chaser's and both of their beaters weren't going to be playing in the upcoming contest.

Unfortunately for James, they weren't done for the night. If Professor McGonagall had been angry with them, then James wasn't aware of a term that could describe the look on Lily Evans' face when they arrived in the common room.

Her green eyes were narrowed with rage and she immediately stormed over to them when they stepped inside.

James raised a hand. 'Hey Evans,' he said brightly, for lack of a better greeting.

James felt the impact of Lily's punch before her fist made contact with his face.

He was forced back a step and his glasses had been knocked to the floor. The whole common room was silent as they watched. Lily was taking deep breaths, as though trying to calm herself down.

Sirius growled and stepped forward but James held up a hand.

'Leave it Sirius,' he said. Sirius stared at him. 'But she just—'

'Leave it.' James repeated firmly. He bent down and picked up his glasses. One of the lenses was shattered. He placed it back on his face anyway.

'You pack quite a punch Evans,' he smirked.

Lily glared daggers at him. 'Somebody needed to put you in your place, Potter,' she spat.

Alice hurried over and grabbed Lily's arm. With a sympathetic glance back at them, she dragged her friend upstairs despite her protests of wanting to smack James around some more.

James whirled around. 'You all can laugh you know!' he said to the common room at large.

Several people burst out laughing and James tried to smile as well, but found he wasn't in the mood for it so he hurried upstairs to the dormitories.

The following week was slow and tedious for James. In addition to being banned from the first Quidditch match of the season, he was also prohibited from attending the first few practices of the year.

If James had thought that Professor McGonagall and Lily Evans were scary when they were angry, then Dorcas Meadowes was the spitting image of Satan as she swooped in on James after lunch on Monday and proceeded to scream herself hoarse in front of the entire school.

On top of an angry Dorcas, the full moon was also approaching rapidly and Remus began to show signs of fatigue and weariness. All in all, the four boys were swamped with countless issues to deal with, not to mention Selwyn's increasingly brutal lessons.

More often than not, James found himself the recipient of some curse or hex as he attempted to defend himself against Selwyn's 'demonstrations' in class. In one particular lesson, James had reacted incredibly quickly and managed to disarm Selwyn before he could curse him. He was promptly given another detention to add to his growing pile for 'not following instructions.'

By Thursday evening, James was about ready to explode from frustration. He didn't need Selwyn on his case when he had so many other things to deal with at the moment. Sirius joined him that night and in the course of their venting, they failed to realize that Remus had left for his transformation.

James' anger was replaced by concern for his friend and guilt that he had been too caught up in his own misfortune to brainstorm a way of helping Remus.

With a heavy sigh, Sirius threw himself onto his four-poster bed. 'Bloody hell, when is this week going to end,' he groaned out loud.

James was shooting red sparks out of his wand and scorching black holes into the ceiling above his own bed.

'Sirius,' he said suddenly.

'Mm?' Sirius mumbled.

'Do you regret pranking those gits?'

Sirius sat up. He caught James' eye and responded resolutely, 'Absolutely not.'

James grinned. 'Good because I don't regret it either.'

He leapt to his feet and rummaged in his trunk for his mirror. 'Now let's get these detentions over with so we can think of more ways to help Remus out.'

Sirius barked out a laugh. 'Always the optimistic one,' he smirked. 'You ready for a night of scrubbing Peter?'

Peter shrugged. 'I'll be glad when it's over,' he affirmed and together, they made their way downstairs and out of the common room to their separate detentions.

James yawned and stretched after he had scrubbed the last bit of grime off of the trophies in the trophy room. The sky outside the window was growing dark and James knew he had missed the end of dinner, although he didn't feel particularly hungry anyway. He placed his mop and rags back into the corner and took in the empty room.

The last time he had been here, he had had Lily for company so the time had actually passed by rather quickly.

James reached up and touched his cheek where she had socked him. The bruise was only just beginning to fade. He sighed, remembering that Lily wasn't likely to speak to him again for a while.

When he returned to the dormitory, he found Sirius and Peter already asleep.

James placed his broken glasses on his bedside table and crawled into bed. It had been a rough week so far and he felt completely drained.

Within moments, he was sound asleep.

James was awakened sometime in the night by an incessant tapping sound by the window. Squinting in the dark, he could just make out a figure outside. He put on his glasses and slipped out of bed, being careful so as not to awaken the others.

'Horace!' James whispered, realizing that it was his family owl. 'What have you got for me this late?'

James peeled off the letter attached to the owl's foot. Horace pecked him on the arm.

'Ah you want food, just hold on a moment…' James placed some owl treats in front of Horace, and then sat down on his bed to read the letter.

It was from Mr. Potter and it read:

_James,_

_ I hope all is going well at school? You're not getting into too much trouble are you? I've heard from my colleagues that your new Defense against the Dark Arts Professor, Selwyn, is a real piece of work. He used to work for the Auror office you see. That brings me to my main point in this letter. Do you recall the conversation you and I shared at the platform a year ago? Recently we have received word that Lucien Rankin has resumed his activities and has been sighted all over Britain in the past month or so. Prior to that, he had been laying relatively low so we all assumed he was biding his time. It seems he is now ready to go out in the open and murder people once more. James, promise me you will be careful even at Hogwarts. It seems Rankin still has quite the grudge against me and I wouldn't be surprised if that extends to you as well. _

_Best wishes,_

_Dad_

James folded the letter and placed it back on the drawer. He stared out of the window into the darkness pensively.

First there was the ban on Quidditch. Then a girl had punched him, and now he had a murderer on his case? What was next?

With a massive groan that caused Peter to stir in his sleep, James threw himself back onto his bed.

He hoped things would get a lot less complicated soon.


	31. Peppermints and Saves

**Peppermints and Saves**

Unfortunately for James, his dreadful week was not quite over yet. Lily seemed to have taken it upon herself to glare at James every time their gazes met, a fact that delighted one greasy-haired Slytherin to no end. Snape was often walking with Lily whenever they passed by James in the hallways and he never missed an opportunity to sneer at James from behind Lily's back while she glared at him.

It was now Friday morning, and the second year Gryffindors ambled into their first class of the day, Potions.

James took his usual seat in the back of the room along with Sirius. Remus and Peter sat in front of them and Lily took her usual seat in the front of the room next to Alice.

Professor Slughorn strolled in leisurely, and greeted them in his usual jovial tone.

'Today we will be working in pairs,' he boomed. 'Your assignment is on the board; I will go through the room and check on each potion at the end of class… now go and find your partners!'

James immediately moved to partner with Sirius, but Slughorn shook his head. 'Why don't we switch things up a bit,' he suggested. 'Mr. Potter, you will work with Mr. Lupin. Mr. Black, you and Mr. Pettigrew will work together. Off you go!'

Remus took a seat next to James and they read the instructions on the board offhandedly. 'Draught of Eternal Sleep,' Sirius read out loud from where he sat beside them. 'Sounds dangerous,' he commented.

James stood up to get the materials from Slughorn. When he passed by Lily on her way back from Slughorn's desk, she bumped him none too lightly.

James raised his eyebrows. So she wanted to play dirty? Feeling a bit more motivated, James gathered the roots and herbs he would need before heading back to his table. Remus took note of his expression with interest. 'Are you actually going to try?' he asked.

'If it's a competition Evans wants, then I'd be too happy to oblige,' James replied as he began carefully skinning his roots.

Remus continued to read James the instructions as he cut and diced nonstop, adding particular ingredients to the steaming cauldron whenever Remus told him to do so. A quarter of an hour later, their solution had turned the desired scarlet red color.

'Let the product simmer for fifteen minutes before administering,' Remus read from the textbook. He closed it with a shut and looked up at James. 'I'd say we're finished.'

With a sigh, James collapsed into his seat and wiped the sweat off of his forehead. 'Brewing a potion is more difficult than it's worth,' he muttered.

He glanced around the room. He had to bite his fist to keep from laughing at Sirius and Peter's cauldron— or what was left of it anyway. They had somehow managed to produce a steely black liquid that bubbled ominously as it slowly burnt away at the cauldron. Sirius looked dumbfounded and Peter was frantically flipping his way through the textbook. As Slughorn walked by them, he grimaced and turned his head in the other direction.

He headed over to Lily and Alice's table next, where James noticed, they had produced a red solution just like the book instructed. Naturally, Slughorn was pleased.

'Oh my! This is wonderful, wonderful work ladies,' he exclaimed happily. He bent down towards them, 'By the way, would you two be interested in attending a party I have set up for Sunday evening?'

Lily and Alice exchanged confused looks. 'A party, sir?' Lily asked. Slughorn clapped his hands together. 'Yes, it's the first Slug Club party of the year,' he beamed at them. 'You will come, won't you?' He added.

Lily and Alice leaned away uncomfortably. 'I've got to use the restroom,' Lily said quickly and left the room.

James checked his watch. They still had another ten minutes before Slughorn would be checking their potion. He pointed this out to Remus and they made their way over to Sirius and Peter's table to see if they could help them out a bit. Sirius' wavy black hair was sticking up at the edges now as he stubbornly continued to stir their hazardous mixture. Peter seemed to have given up already and he shot Remus a pleading look as they made their way over.

'Please help us,' he moaned. 'The more we stir it, the hotter it gets!'

James chortled at Sirius' expression as he continued to stir. Sirius glared at him. 'Like you could do any better,' he muttered. James placed an arm around Remus' shoulders. 'Actually, thanks to Moony the Potions whiz here, I'd say we did a pretty good job,' he smirked.

Sirius continued to ignore them and mutter to himself and his cauldron melted right when Slughorn called time. Lily had returned from the bathroom as well.

The large professor sighed and waved his wand, clearing up the mess at Sirius and Peter's table. 'I'm afraid you won't be getting any credit for this mess Mr. Black and Mr. Pettigrew,' he sighed. 'Perhaps next time you will see to it that you come to class prepared.'

He collected all of their flasks. As James poured a sample of their potion into the container, he noticed that the red color had thickened somewhat and become more velvety than before. With a shrug, he handed it to Professor Slughorn and sat back down.

Slughorn moved through each potion, only pausing to smile or grimace at a few select potions.

'Perfect!' he said, beaming at Lily and Alice, and the two girls high-fived each other.

When he reached James and Remus' potion, he took a long time examining it with a slight frown under his moustache.

'May I have a volunteer to test out potion number eighteen?' he asked, looking around at the class.

James raised his hand. 'I'll take it, it's ours after all,' he said.

He walked to the front of the room. Slughorn poured a sip of his potion into a small cup and handed it to James. James saw Lily smirking at him and raised an eyebrow inquiringly.

'Cheers,' he winked at her, raised the cup to his lips and downed it.

For a few moments, it seemed as though nothing had happened. Perhaps they had messed up and the potion had failed to knock him asleep? People had just begun muttering at his lack of reaction when a sudden wave of dizziness crashed upon James and he had trouble keeping his vision clear. He stumbled and tried to grab onto a desk, before falling to the floor with a thud. He could hear people yelling around him and he blacked out.

James could hear voices saying his name. He felt something soft underneath him and realized with a pang that he was lying in a bed. Groaning, he sat up and felt for his glasses. Someone handed them to him and he took in his surroundings as they came into focus.

He realized that he was in the hospital wing, and Sirius, Remus and Peter were sitting at the foot of his bed. 'What happened?' James asked. He didn't feel too bad, so why was he in the hospital wing?

Remus flushed. 'You drank a sample of our potion remember? And then you just passed out in the room...' he looked ashamed. 'James it's my fault… I messed up the potion—probably put too many peppermint leaves in there or something. Those amplify the effects, if only temporarily.'

James shook his head, 'No it wasn't you or me Remus,' he said slowly.

He had suddenly remembered the smirk on Lily's face when he had drank the potion. Understanding flashed across his features.

'It was Evans,' he declared.

Remus didn't look convinced. 'I don't think Lily would do something like that,' he said quietly.

Sirius scoffed. 'Well, she did punch James in the face the other day, who's to say she hasn't gotten enough revenge for the prank?'

Remus rolled his eyes disbelievingly. 'Sirius when would she have had time to place extra peppermint in our potion?' he inquired. Sirius shrugged and turned to James.

Feeling rather restless, James got up and began putting on his shoes, which lay at the foot of his bed. 'I'd say it happened when she came back from the bathroom,' he said as he tied his second shoelace. He looked up at them, 'I'm not mad though, I did kind of deserve it,' he grinned.

Sirius barked with laughter. 'Nothing gets to our Jamesy,' he teased.

James glanced at the clock. It was half past three.

'You've missed the whole day because of that Draught of Eternal Sleep,' Remus informed him. 'Fortunately, the effects were only temporary.'

James shrugged as he got to his feet. 'I'm not complaining,' he said shortly.

They left the hospital wing and decided to stop by the kitchens for a quick bite to eat before heading outside to enjoy the afternoon sun. The courtyard was littered with red and yellow leaves, and there were students of all ages running around yelling or studying in the shade of a tree.

The Marauders made their way to their usual spot beside the lake and sat down. James leaned back against his hands and watched the clouds drift by slowly. The week was finally over, and he hoped that things would begin smoothing out by the weekend. Perhaps he could even talk Professor McGonagall into letting him practice, just once? He sighed, knowing that the strict Transfiguration teacher was more likely to blow him a kiss than to rescind a punishment that she had bestowed upon him.

James and Sirius then spent the majority of the next hour debating possible ways to help Remus during his monthly transformations. However, the werewolf in question shot down their suggestions one by one without hesitation.

'We could go in the shrieking shack with you,'

'No.'

'Why?'

'It's dangerous.'

'We could bring the invisibility cloak! That w—'

'No means no!'

James sighed. They were clearly not going anywhere with this discussion and the thought that he was helpless at easing his friend's pain was frustrating him to no end.

'We'll find a way Moony,' he said firmly. 'Mark my words, we have five years left here, we won't let you spend every full moon alone.'

Remus sighed and shut his book. 'Look James, I thought I told you that the thought alone is more than enough for me,' he said softly. 'It's impossible for you to join me when I become a- when I transform… It's too dangerous.' He looked more tired than usual and when the light from the sun shone onto his face, throwing it into relief, James noticed that he had acquired a few new scars on his neck and cheekbone.

Right at that moment, a high-pitched scream pierced the air from nearby and James turned his head sharply towards the source of the sound.

'AMY NO—SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP HER!' a young girl was screaming.

There was a commotion at the edge of the lake; many students were hovering near the edge. A small girl, a first year perhaps, had apparently slipped and fallen into the lake and was desperately trying to stay afloat. It was painfully obvious to James that she could not swim very well. He leapt to his feet and sprinted over, not bothering to apologize to the people he bumped into on his way there.

When he arrived, he saw Lily and Alice standing by the water's edge looking very worried. 'If no one else is going to help, then I will!' Lily was saying angrily as she began rolling up her sleeves.

Before she could take another step, James darted past her and leapt gracefully into a highflying dive before splashing into the cold water. The water was freezing, and he knew that if he didn't hurry, the girl would probably catch a cold.

He opened his eyes and could just barely make out the first year flailing underneath the water as she began to sink. James swam over to her and grabbed her by the waist. With a massive push, he managed to get her head above the water. Several pairs of hands grabbed onto the small girl and hauled her back onto land, where she lay coughing up water.

James emerged from the water, gasping for air. Lily and Alice were kneeling beside the first year, who seemed to be more or less all right. Alice turned to James. 'That was quite the stunt you pulled Potter,' she grinned.

Lily was appraising him with an odd look as the people nearby began cheering and hollering in appreciation.

Sirius, Remus and Peter arrived by the water's edge wearing matching grins. 'That's our James!' Sirius was saying loudly.

Remus held out a hand that James reached out for, but something suddenly grabbed his foot and pulled him back underwater with a huge splash. James flailed wildly and looked down at his foot. There was something long and dark attached to it. He tried to reach for his wand, but was hauled into the air once more, breaking the surface of the lake.

People were screaming and someone in the crowd was yelling for someone to get a teacher. James was now being spun around in circles in the air, the cold wind forcing his soaked clothes against his skin uncomfortably. He could hear the shouts of Sirius, Remus and Peter as they shot various hexes at whatever had grabbed onto him.

'Bloody hell it's the giant squid!' someone shouted in awe.

'I don't care what it is just get if OFF me!' James thought to himself as he tried reaching for his wand again.

The grip on his ankle suddenly relaxed and he was sent plummeting back into the water with a loud plunk. When James resurfaced, he glanced up and felt his jaw drop in amazement.

The elusive giant squid that he had heard so many stories about was floating in the water right next to him. It was even larger than James had imagined it to be, and he blurted the first thing that came to mind— '_wicked!'_

James eyes travelled up one of the squid's long tentacles and landed on a massive figure that was grabbing onto them, preventing it from moving.

'Hagrid!' James exclaimed in shock. 'Did you just make the giant squid drop me?'

'Hurry up an' get out the water James!' Hagrid bellowed as he restrained the squid. 'This feller's no pushover so I'll need all the space I can get!'

James obliged and pulled himself onto land with the help of Sirius and Remus.

They stood back and watched in awe as Hagrid, with a mighty roar and push, sent the squid back into the lake where it swam off and disappeared into its depths once more.

'James, you all right?' asked a Hufflepuff named Edgar Bones. James nodded. 'I've been worse,' he grinned.

His gaze travelled behind Edgar and landed on Professor McGonagall, who was hurrying towards them with an irate expression on her face.

'_Potter! _What is it this time?!' She screeched.

James backed up a step at her fury. 'I didn't do anything wrong!' he explained, motioning wildly to the first year and to Hagrid as he climbed on shore.

McGonagall's eyes narrowed suspiciously and she looked like she wanted to say more but she was cut off by Sirius's voice.

'Professor, James didn't do anything wrong this time,' he said quickly. 'He jumped into the lake to save a drowning girl. Everyone here can vouch for that,' he said, gesturing to the crowd of spectators.

McGonagall turned to Hagrid for confirmation. 'Is this true, Rubeus?' she demanded.

Hagrid flashed her a grin through his thick beard. 'I only know what I saw Professor McGonagall, and that was James here jumpin' in the lake to rescue a firs' year.'

Professor McGonagall heaved a sigh and appraised James with an odd look for a moment. 'Back to the castle, ALL of you!' she said briskly, and the crowd groaned and began heading back inside.

'And you Potter, I don't think you need me to tell you that that was a remarkably stupid thing for you to do,' she said shortly. 'Ten points will be taken from Gryffindor.'

Sirius looked scandalized and made to protest, but Remus elbowed him in the gut.

James gulped.

'However,' Professor McGonagall continued as her face broke into a small smile, 'you displayed plenty of courage by rescuing miss Boden today. In light of your deed, I will overturn your suspension.'

James stared at her blankly, not really understanding what she meant. Sirius clapped him on the back, a massive grin splitting his face.

'You're free to play next week mate!' he boomed ecstatically.

James' mouth fell open. 'Y-you're serious?' he stammered incredulously. 'I'm really allowed to play?' Professor McGonagall nodded once before turning and heading back up the courtyard.

James suddenly felt lighter than he had all week. Perhaps today hadn't been a complete loss after all! He found himself laughing as Sirius, Remus and Peter converged on him and punched his shoulders playfully.

'Oh and Mr. Potter,' Professor McGonagall paused and turned to face him.

'Yes Professor?' James asked.

For a split second, James thought McGonagall had grinned at him— but the moment passed, and she looked as stern as ever.

'I expect a good performance from you,' she said curtly, and she whirled around, marching back up to the castle.


	32. Objectives and Matches

**Objectives and Matches**

'Over here Longbottom!'

James was streaking along the right side of the pitch. He caught Frank's pass as he avoided a solid body check by Cresswell, then darted in on Dorcas. He faked a shot to the left hoop, and then deposited the quaffle into the right hoop for a score. Cresswell blew his whistle.

'That'll do it for today,' he said as they gathered on the ground. 'Hit the showers then it's off to the books,' he added with a grin.

As James made his way over to the locker rooms, Frank and Alice approached him and they began walking together.

'Nice flying James,' Frank said appreciatively. 'I still can't believe that Professor McGonagall let you practice though.'

'It's because of my charms,' James winked and they all laughed heartily. 'And your modesty, no doubt,' Alice added with a smirk.

James raised an eyebrow at her. 'You know McGonagall would rather dance with Selwyn than lose to Slytherin in a Quidditch match,' he pointed out. 'I knew all along that she wasn't _serious _about my suspension,' James lied.

Truthfully, he had been terrified that Gryffindor would lose in their upcoming season opener, and he had fretted that it would have been his fault if they had. It would have also ruined his longtime fantasies of his first ever Quidditch match.

James grinned dreamily to himself as he showered. The match was only two days away and the build-up had been electric. The Prewett twins had instigated several catchy anti-Slytherin chants, which the Gryffindors took up whenever they were within earshot of the Slytherin team.

Fights were also becoming commonplace in the corridors, and groups of Slytherins kept trying to ambush members of the Gryffindor team whenever they went somewhere alone. Cresswell himself had been ambushed the day before, but when Professor Flitwick arrived at the scene, he found four very unrecognizable figures and an unscathed but very amused Dirk.

James was not immune to the tension either, and he noticed that Mulciber and Avery kept trying to bump into him in the corridors. In one particular instance, James had been seconds away from fighting back before Remus reminded him that he had just been taken off of a suspension and it wouldn't be wise for him to pick a fight just yet.

All in all, the antagonism between the Gryffindors and Slytherins was reaching its breaking point, and Dorcas instructed them to always travel in groups around the school to avoid any injuries.

James stepped out of the showers and glanced around. Despite what Dorcas had said, it seemed like he was the only one left in the locker room. He dressed in his school robes and made his way outside. The evening was cool and a soft breeze whistled over the courtyard, scattering the leaves about in the grass.

James had just taken a step towards the castle when he felt something large and powerful hit him from behind.

He toppled over and rolled several times before leaping to his feet, wand in hand.

James had expected to see a group of Slytherins who had cornered him, but instead he saw that it was only Sirius, who was currently doubled over with tears of mirth in his eyes.

'Y-your face,' he wheezed. 'That was priceless!'

James rolled his eyes and stowed his wand back in his robes. 'You gave me a good fright mate,' he laughed.

Together, they made their way into the entrance hall. The corridors were mostly empty by now, and the only noise in the vicinity came from their echoing steps and from Peeves, who was cackling nearby.

'You nervous about the match?' Sirius asked as they made their way up the marble staircase.

James shook his head. 'Nah, I reckon it's because I've been dreaming of this for too long,' he said truthfully. 'I just want to win.'

Sirius' expression darkened. 'Those bloody Slytherins have been acting really dirty off the pitch, I reckon they'll be even worse during the match,' he scowled.

James shrugged. 'We've practiced for it, they haven't,' he said simply.

His stomach growled loudly and he scratched his head. 'I guess I haven't eaten dinner yet,' he commented. 'Fancy a bite in the kitchens?'

He turned around. 'Sirius?'

Sirius didn't respond right away and it took James a few moments to realize that his friend had stopped short and was peeking into a classroom they had just walked by.

A second later, James heard voices coming from the classroom and he too made his way over curiously. From the sounds coming from the room, James deduced that there were two voices. The first voice was relaxed and calm, while the second one sounded angry. He pressed his ear against the door and listened closely.

'I am _serious_ Professor, I do not understand the necessity of my- my mission!'

The first voice responded calmly. 'And I have told you, my dear friend, that I believe this objective to be of the utmost importance.'

James suddenly realized who the first speaker was. He caught Sirius' eye and mouthed, '_Dumbledore_.'

The second speaker lashed out again, with frustration evident in his voice. 'But he hasn't even been attacked yet, where's the evidence that the stupid boy even has Voldemort's attention like you claim with such certainty?'

James' breath caught in his throat. They were speaking about Voldemort. But what exactly were they talking about? Or who? He adjusted his stance and leaned in closer.

'We will not know for sure until Voldemort strikes again,' Dumbledore said firmly. 'However, I can assure you that your objective will be of utmost importance if and when it happens.'

James could hear the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching the door and he motioned wildly at Sirius to run. They dove behind a suit of armor nearby right before the door burst open and someone stormed out.

It was Professor Selwyn.

James watched as his defense professor stalked off, his robes billowing behind him as he went. He turned to Sirius, who was wide-eyed. 'Let's get out of here,' he muttered.

James didn't have much time to digest what he had seen over the next day as the last day before the Quidditch match arrived. Dorcas called them all in and proceeded to lecture them all on the importance of winning the match nearly the entire evening before dinner. Cresswell meanwhile, lounged in his seat lazily as she spoke.

'No pressure,' Fabian Prewett commented when she was finally through. 'Yeah all we've got to do is win and Dorcas won't murder us in our sleep,' added Gideon.

The day of the match dawned bright and early for James and the rest of the Gryffindor squad. They ate breakfast together and spoke excitedly, while Dorcas simply sat and stared at her toast.

'Come on Dorcas you'll need the energy later,' James prodded. Dorcas shook her head. 'I think I'm nervous,' she mumbled. Dirk took a seat next to her and winked at James. 'Let me handle her,' he said and James turned back to his eggs.

They were excused to go to the pitch early, but by the time they had finished dressing in the locker rooms, they could already begin to hear the din of the spectators who had just arrived from within the lockers.

Dorcas stood up with a determined glint in her eye and James knew that her nerves were gone.

'All right you lot, listen up!' she shouted.

James leaned forward in his stall. Frank and Alice high-fived the Prewett twins in the corner, and Cresswell grinned from where he stood, next to Dorcas.

'I've already told you that this is more than a game,' Dorcas said as she paced back and forth. 'This isn't about just sports anymore—' she came to a stop and glared at them.

'It's about kicking Slytherin's arses and it's about fighting against what's wrong! We HAVE to win!'

The locker room erupted into roars that nearly drowned out the deafening noise from outside. Dorcas nodded approvingly. 'Now let's get out there,' she said and with a whoop from the Prewetts, they kicked off out of the door and flew onto the pitch.

James could feel his blood pumping in his veins as he took in the massive crowd. It was what he had always dreamed of, playing in front of a crowd like this. And what better opponent to humiliate than the Slytherins?

Madame Hooch blew her whistle. 'Captains shake hands!' she instructed. Dirk and the Slytherin captain, a burly seventh year named Malcolm Flint grazed each other's hands quickly. A moment later, the whistle blew, and the balls were released.

The quaffle founds its way into James' hands and he immediately took off for the Slytherin goalposts. He remembered what Dorcas had said about them being more brawny than skilled and smirked. They wouldn't win on size alone.

'Frank!' he bellowed and hurled the quaffle at Frank, who caught it and sped forward.

The beaters, Crabbe and Goyle, converged on him and deliberately tried to swing their bats at his head, but Frank was too quick. Darting around them, he found Dirk hovering near the goals and pumped his fist as their captain deposited the quaffle into the center hoop for their first points.

The Gryffindors in the crowd went wild, and together with the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, managed to drown out the Slytherin section's booing.

'Are you scared or something Potter?' someone sneered at him from behind. James whirled around and saw Severus Snape hovering on a broomstick, an ugly smile on his face.

'You play Quidditch Snivellus?' James gaped incredulously.

Snape smirked. 'That I do,' he said haughtily. He glared at James when he laughed loudly. 'Sorry,' James chuckled. 'You just don't come off as the outdoor type.'

James left Snape hovering there and zoomed in on a pass to intercept a quaffle thrown by Avery. The crowd stood in anticipation as he rocketed towards the goals.

'Time to show Snape how to fly,' he thought to himself.

'AND POTTER CAN GIVE GRYFFINDOR THEIR SECOND GOAL OF THE MATCH RIGHT HERE!' cried the announcer. 'OH NO, HE'S GOING TO—WHAT A MOVE!'

Rosier was flying straight at him now. He reached out in an attempt to grab James' robes—but James quickly spun under his broom, causing Rosier to nearly fall off his own as he tried to stop his momentum. The crowd 'oohed' at this display of skill and then cheered when James assisted Frank for their second goal.

Snape looked livid when James flew by him. James laughed to himself. This was getting way too easy.

'POTTER DEFENSE!' Dorcas bellowed.

A burly chaser had the quaffle now and he shook free of Frank's defense to pass it to Snape. Snape was an average flyer at best, and he hesitated just long enough for Dirk to rip the ball from his arms. He and James darted in on Flint two on one. Dirk faked a shot, making Flint bite on it— and flung the ball to James, who suddenly had a clear shot at the goal.

The impact came before James could brace himself, and he was nearly knocked clean off of his broom by Goyle as he rammed into James from the side. The Gryffindors in the crowd were screaming for a penalty but Madame Hooch ignored them.

'Did that hurt, Potter?' Snape drawled as he flew towards James, who was still hanging from his broom.

James grit his teeth angrily. 'Watch and learn Snivellus,' he growled.

He held the quaffle out precariously, taunting Snape. Snape's eyes widened and he immediately dove for James' outstretched hand. Reacting incredibly fast, James flicked the quaffle up—as Snape went down— and forced his body into a twirling 360-degree kick.

He watched with satisfaction as the quaffle whistled through Flint's outstretched hands and rang into the rightmost hoop.

As he flew by the Gryffindor section, James pumped his fist and they exploded into roars of appreciation. He could faintly hear Sirius and Peter chanting his name.

Five minutes later, the burly Slytherin chaser had managed to shake free of Frank and James to score two goals, finally putting Slytherin on the scoreboard. Dorcas could be seen cursing at herself.

The score was 140-20 when Alice and the Slytherin seeker, Nott, rocketed into the clouds. James could just barely make out the snitch fluttering in the sky.

'Grab it Alice!' he shouted, although he doubted she could hear him.

Alice was clearly the faster flyer, and the distance between her and Nott was steadily increasing when it happened.

Realizing that Alice was going to get to the snitch before he did, Nott launched himself forward and grabbed a hold of Alice's hair.

'_Foul!' _James yelled furiously. Frank was gesturing wildly at Madame Hooch, but she refused to blow her whistle.

The crowd gasped as Alice continued to fly upwards in determination. Nott was now desperately trying to pull Alice off her broom.

With a mighty kick, she stepped onto his face and pushed off into the air—hovering for a moment—and her fingers closed around the golden snitch.

'YES!' James shouted as the crowd erupted with delight. His smile turned into a worried frown when he realized that Alice was falling straight to the ground.

He needn't have worried, however, because a moment later, she was in Frank's arms as they touched down safely, the rest of the team converging upon them in a group hug.

'Party in the common room!' Bellowed the Prewetts.

The party lasted well into the night. The Prewetts had mysteriously disappeared for a while only to reappear with their arms full of butterbeer and firewhisky.

'Trade secret,' Gideon winked at James' questioning look.

James found himself as the center of attention, along with Alice and Frank. Many older Gryffindors kept saying that they were the future of the Gryffindor squad, and were destined to bring home many more house cups in the future. James didn't mind having people fawn over him. He quite liked it actually, and he was just telling a group of giggling fourth year girls about his special hair conditioner when he spotted someone by the fire.

Lily wasn't participating in the party, and she sat on the couch reading a book. How she could read with all the noise, James had no idea.

He finally managed to break free and began to make his way towards Lily. However at that moment, one of Lily's friends—who had clearly had too much firewhisky—got to her first and promptly fell onto Lily's lap.

James watched from afar as Lily complained for a bit before sighing in resignation and patting the girl's back.

'All right Potter?' said Dorcas as she made her way over to James. She followed his gaze and a smirk made its way onto her features.

'Ah, I see,' she said knowingly. 'Feeling a bit lonely?' She nudged him rather painfully in the side.

'Not at all.' James shrugged, trying to act as though it was a matter of no real importance to him. He watched as Lily absentmindedly tucked a loose strand of red hair behind her ears.

James turned to get another butterbeer from the table.

'She hates me anyway.'


	33. Dummies and Musings

**Dummies and Musings**

The party came to an abrupt end when Professor McGonagall entered the common room and informed them that they were making too much noise. She took in the sight of empty bottles strewn all over the room and sniffed in disapproval. 'Seriously, you'd think we had already won the Quidditch cup,' she muttered.

She stayed for a while to make sure that they were actually cleaning up and going to bed.

Later that night, James was having trouble sleeping.

Although the euphoria of winning his first ever Quidditch match for Gryffindor was keeping him awake, it had cooled off to the point where the thoughts that had been pushed to the back of his mind were now making their way forward.

James did not know what to make of the conversation he and Sirius had overheard between Selwyn and Dumbledore. He had never heard the man in question sound so worried before, and as he lay staring out the window into the darkness, he couldn't help but wonder what else he didn't know about his defense professor.

A month came and went after Gryffindor's first Quidditch match. During this stretch, Gryffindor had a rather easy schedule: only one game against the Hufflepuffs, who they dominated 220-70 before Alice had even caught the snitch. During this time, the Marauders had also decided to step their exploring ways up a notch so that they could make a few more additions to the map before Christmas break arrived. James also made sure he kept a close eye on Professor Selwyn, although he didn't notice anything different about their disdainful professor.

Another area that saw no change was James' relationship—or lack thereof—with Lily Evans. The redhead continued to treat him with icy coldness after his prank on her friend Snape, but now she had even stopped glaring at him—choosing to ignore James instead.

One morning in late November, the second-year Gryffindors had Defense against the Dark Arts first period as usual.

James noted that Selwyn entered the room with his usual scowl, looking no different than he normally did. He exchanged a look with Sirius as Selwyn turned to face them.

'Today, we will continue our work on defensive magic,' he addressed them. 'In our previous lesson, we covered the basics of _expelliarmus_ and _diffindo._ Those of you who have not mastered these spells yet, get to work practicing,' he said— his eyes landed on Peter, who flushed.

Selwyn continued. 'The few of you who _are_ appropriately prepared for today's lesson will be learning a new spell. Does anyone know of the _reductor _curse?'

Lily's hand shot up and Selwyn nodded at her.

'The reductor curse can be used to blast solid objects to pieces,' she answered. Selwyn nodded. 'And in what situations might it come in handy?' He asked.

Lily leaned forward in her chair, 'it could help you escape a cave in from a tunnel, or you could use it in a duel to distract or harm your opponent.'

Selwyn smirked and addressed them all once more. 'As Miss Evans so blandly puts it,'—Lily flushed—'the reductor curse can be used to destroy any solid object in one's way.'

He raised an eyebrow, 'surely even the slowest amongst you children can imagine just how useful a spell this can be,' he said quietly. Nobody spoke for a moment and every eye was focused on Selwyn. He seemed satisfied that he had their attention now.

'Watch my demonstration, then pair off and practice—and Potter, you're with me.'

James stood in surprise and made his way to Selwyn, ignoring the murmuring of his classmates around him. Remus shot him a concerned look but eventually turned back to Peter, who was still having trouble mastering the disarming spell from the previous lesson.

'Sir,' James said as politely as possible. 'May I ask why you wanted to partner with me?'

Selwyn laughed coldly. 'Need I remind you, Mr. Potter, that this is my classroom and you are currently inside of it… Now draw your wand.'

James pulled his wand out of his robes, as did Selwyn. Selwyn seemed to be searching James' face for something. James raised an eyebrow at him. 'Is there something on my face that needs scrubbing, professor?'

Several people nearby them tittered at his remark. Selwyn ignored them.

'Pay close attention as I demonstrate,' he said coldly as the class watched.

He flicked his wand and a life-sized wooden dummy appeared in front of his desk. Selwyn rolled up the sleeve of his robes, then jabbed his wand— '_Reducto.' _

A jet of white light burst out of his wand and landed on its target. The dummy promptly and violently burst into hundreds of small wooden splinters and chunks. Those nearest the dummy backed up a step in fear.

Selwyn smiled grimly. 'Yes, dangerous isn't it? But it's _useful.' _

He turned his attention back to James as the rest of the class began practicing on small blocks of wood. 'Did that get through to you Potter? Or do you require another demonstration…?'

James pointed his wand at the shattered remains of Selwyn's dummy.

'Reparo.' The broken pieces merged back together.

James stepped forward and jabbed his wand aggressively, and shouted—'_Reducto_!' The dummy shattered into bits once more, although not quite as many as Selwyn had reduced it to. James turned to Selwyn, who stared back at him impassively for a moment.

'Poor form,' he said at last. 'But you do seem to get the gist of it.'

James glanced around the room. Many of his fellow Gryffindors were having issues with their slabs of wood. In fact, by the end of class, it seemed that only Sirius, Remus and Frank had succeeded in breaking theirs. Lily was beginning to turn red with frustration—and James suddenly remembered a similar situation back in his first year, when he had helped Lily transfigure a needle into a pincushion.

As he was watching her, Selwyn moved to stand next to him and James suddenly felt a cold chill run down his spine. He turned and stared at the professor, who was gazing into his eyes intently.

'I'm afraid that the miniscule accomplishment of transfiguring a needle into a pincushion will not help you in my class,' he said coldly, drawing out each word.

James backed up a step. 'How did you know—?'

Selwyn ignored him and signaled the end of class. 'Master the Reductor curse by Thursday's lesson. Those who still can not perform this spell by then will be dismissed from the lesson immediately.'

The bell rang, and the Gryffindors flocked out. James caught up with Sirius, Remus and Peter just outside of the classroom.

Remus was busy comforting a frustrated Peter. 'At least you managed to get started,' Peter was saying irritably. 'I just barely got the hang of _expelliarmus _by the time class was over…' Sirius cut across Peter. 'What'd he say to you James?' he demanded as they filed along the corridors with the rest of the students. 'You guys seemed to be doing more talking than practicing.'

James was about to tell them about what had just happened when Alice Dearborn called out to him.

James slung his bag over his shoulder.

'What's up?' he asked when she caught up to them. Alice groaned as she caught her breath. 'Sorry to be asking you for another favor Potter,' she wheezed, 'but do you think you could help me practice? I really don't want to get left behind.'

James nodded. 'Sure, no problem.' He glanced over her shoulder, hoping to catch a glimpse of Lily.

Alice noticed him looking and sighed. 'She stormed off the moment the bell rang,' she informed them in exasperation. 'I don't think she took very well to not mastering the reductor curse…'

James caught Sirius' eye and winked. 'So common room tonight for practicing?' he asked. Alice agreed.

'Merlin thanks a lot Potter, you may have just saved me from death!' she said, looking immensely relieved.

Remus frowned at her. 'From death?' he echoed.

Alice rolled her eyes. 'If I was forced to spend an extra two hours with Selwyn every week for extra lessons, I think I'd jump into the lake,' she joked, and they all laughed.

'Well, let's try and prevent that from happening shall we?' James suggested with a grin as they headed off to Charms.

James was seated around the fire with Sirius, Remus, Peter and Alice that evening. He was in the middle of explaining the concept of the reductor curse to Alice—who based on the lost expression on her face, didn't understand anything coming out of his mouth.

At last, she threw her hands into the air in frustration. 'I'll never get this!' she shrieked.

James turned to Remus for help. 'Maybe Moony could explain it better than I could… mate?'

Alice looked up sharply. 'Moony?' she echoed, glancing from James to Remus.

Remus paled considerably. 'Uh, it rhymes with my nickname,' he spluttered. 'You know, Loony and Moony… they rhyme.'

They all let out a sigh of relief when Alice burst out laughing. 'That's not a nice nickname,' she chided with a smirk at James. 'Bet that was your idea Potter.' James clapped a hand to his heart. 'What could possibly give you that idea?' he said in a wounded tone.

Alice snorted. 'Oh please…' she raised her eyebrows. '_Snivellus?' _

James' mouth shut and Sirius guffawed. 'Yeah, our James only aims to please people,' he teased. 'His nicknames bring out the inner qualities of the person in question.'

Remus cleared his throat loudly.

'On that note, James you should probably just demonstrate the curse for her. You did better than me in class today anyhow,' he said as he leaned over to grab a History of Magic textbook from the table.

James heaved a sigh and stood up. 'Well, shall we go then?'

He and Alice walked a short distance to an empty classroom nearby. James found a couple of practice dummies in the broom closet—most likely used for Quidditch training. He set them down side-by-side and turned to face Alice.

'You already know the concept of the reductor curse right?' Alice nodded. 'I just can't seem to actually cast the spell,' she muttered.

James pulled out his wand. 'Watch carefully,' he said, and he proceeded to shatter one of the dummies.

He turned to Alice. 'Now you do it.'

Alice stared at him with an incredulous expression. 'Uh, sorry to crash your party Potter… but you haven't exactly told me how to do it?' She snorted. James frowned. Alice was clearly not getting the point of his demonstration.

With a flick of his wand, he repaired the dummy. 'Watch my movements Dearborn,' he instructed. 'But focus on my forearm movement.' He jabbed his wand and yelled, 'Reducto!' and once again the dummy shattered into wooden chunks, which made loud clanging noises as they banged against the desks and scattered all over the place.

Alice nodded a few times and pulled out her wand. 'All right I'll try,' she said with determination. She stepped in front of the dummy and jabbed her wand viciously.

'Reducto!'

The dummy was sent cartwheeling backwards into several somersaults before landing with a thud on the floor. Alice turned to James in frustration. 'This is what always happens!' she exclaimed. 'It never shatters like it's supposed to!'

James chuckled. 'It's fine— based on your attempt, I think I know what you're doing wrong,' he informed her. He held out his wand arm and motioned for her to do the same. He pointed at his forearm.

'You see how my wrist is turning so that my palm would be facing up if I opened my fingers?' Alice nodded. Next, James demonstrated the jabbing motion of the curse. 'When a lot of people—including you—jab, they have a habit of starting out with their palms facing downwards, then spinning it so that it face upwards the moment they jab it forwards.' He demonstrated a few times. Alice furrowed her eyebrows.

'So, that's wrong?' she asked.

James nodded, 'Look.' He turned to the dummy and said, 'Reducto,' spinning his wrist around as he jabbed his wand.

The dummy was blown backwards several feet— but landed in one piece.

'This is that happens when you don't keep the jab in a straight-line motion,' he told her.

Alice rolled up her sleeves. 'I'm going to try again,' she declared. She raised her wand and jabbed forward, keeping it as straight as possible. 'Reducto!'

This time when the jet of light hit, the dummy broke into several pieces. Alice squealed with excitement. 'Did you see that?' she said giddily. 'I finally broke something!'

Alice attempted several more tries, each one breaking the dummy apart more than the last. Finally at a quarter past eight, they decided to call it a night. James repaired both dummies and placed them back into the closet. 'I'd say you're ready for Selwyn now,' he said. Alice nodded excitedly. 'Thanks again Potter, I don't know where I'd be without you!' she gushed.

James winked. 'I always aim to please,' he quipped.

They had just turned around to leave when James accidentally stepped into a desk, which toppled over with a loud bang. There was a loud yelp from somewhere behind him.

'Sorry Dearborn, I wasn't watching,' he apologized.

Alice shook her head, 'That wasn't me,' she said with a frown. James glanced around. 'Is there someone else in here?' He called.

No response.

James turned to Alice and shrugged. 'Probably just the desk anyway,' Alice said nonchalantly and they made their way back to the common room.

They walked in silence for a few minutes before Alice came to a halt. James stopped walking and looked at her questioningly.

'Do you fancy Lily?' She suddenly blurted.

James stared at her, unable to mask his surprise for a few moments. She was wearing an uncharacteristically serious expression as she studied him closely.

After a few moments, James decided that Alice was trustworthy. 'Yeah, I fancy her,' he said as they resumed walking.

Alice looked momentarily surprised at his bluntness. 'Why don't you ask her out then?' She ribbed. James grinned, although he was feeling rather uncomfortable with the conversation.

'Well for starters, Evans would rather see me fall off my broom than have a civil conversation with me. I don't think going out is really an option at the moment,' he muttered sarcastically.

Alice rolled her eyes. 'That's only because you haven't let her get to know you,' she pressed. 'But it's your funeral I guess.' They fell silent again.

James seized the opportunity and changed the subject.

'What about you and Frank?' he asked with a sly glance at her.

As expected, Alice blushed crimson all the way to the tips of her ears. She spluttered incoherently for a few moments.

James held up a hand. 'It's okay, I already know,' he informed her.

Alice sighed. 'Am I that obvious?' she moaned.

James couldn't resist a snigger. 'Sorry,' he laughed when she glared at him. 'It's just… you should hear what Frank says, you guys sound so much alike it's funny,' he said with a smile.

Alice perked up at this. 'Frank… he talks about me?' she mumbled.

James winked at her. 'You're asking the wrong person Dearborn.'

Alice took a leaf out of James' book and changed the subject again.

'So, what are you planning to do about Lily?' she asked in a falsely bright voice.

James groaned, 'How many times are you going to ask, she hates me!' Alice tilted her head and smirked at him. 'I don't think she hates you as much as she lets on,' she commented.

'What do you mean?' James countered.

Alice leaned forward. 'I mean, you should have seen her at the Quidditch game… She looked like she was enjoying herself.'

James snorted. 'It's impossible not to get into Quidditch matches… and by enjoying herself, you probably meant she was standing with Snape or something,' he added bitterly.

Alice shook her head. 'No, she sat with the Gryffindors. I saw her next to Marlene.' James glanced at her sideways. 'Well, was she cheering then?' He asked with a smirk.

Alice shifted her feet.

'She… smiled a lot,' she said hesitantly, and James couldn't contain a chuckle.

Alice huffed, 'Just because she wasn't screaming and cheering doesn't mean she wasn't excited you know— She wouldn't stop blabbering about how fun it was afterwards and how great everyone on the team played.'

They fell into an awkward silence once more, as they drew near the portrait hole.

'Gillyweed,' James said to the Fat Lady, who swung open and admitted them into the common room. Alice waved at a few girls in the corner before heading up the stairs to the girl's dormitory.

'Hey Dearborn—Alice!' He called out to her. She turned around at the top of the stairs.

James' expression betrayed no hint of emotion. 'About Evans… did she mention anything about my flying?'

Alice's laughter could be heard throughout the Gryffindor common room.


	34. Breaks and Aurors

**Breaks and Aurors**

November passed into December without much change at Hogwarts. The weather grew steadily colder each passing day, and the week before Christmas holidays saw the first snowfall of the year.

In spite of the weather, Dorcas had managed to convince Cresswell that they needed to hold Quidditch practices at least four times every week. When the Prewett twins complained about the amount of practices one evening, she had threatened to replace them with the second-year reserve beaters.

'And don't think that I won't,' she snapped at their retreating figures.

Meanwhile, James somehow managed to balance Quidditch with his nighttime wanderings under the cloak, as well as maintaining his top-of-the-class grades without studying too much. He and Sirius spent much of their free time in the evenings working on the map, planning pranks, and most importantly finding a way to help Remus during his monthly transformations. Remus himself wasn't aware of the last part of course, and he was led to believe that they were simply slacking off due to the impending holidays.

'You know,' he said one afternoon in the common room. 'I really wish you two would start taking your studies more seriously.' James and Sirius were currently engrossed in an epic game of Wizard's Chess, and chose to ignore the quiet boy's comment. Remus sighed in resignation. 'I don't know why I even bother,' he groaned.

Peter was following the game intently, and let out a squeal of fright when Sirius' pawns savagely pummeled James' knight.

James reached over the table and separated the brawling pieces. 'Don't you worry about us Moony,' he said bracingly. 'Sirius and I are tops in every subject, we don't need to study.'

Remus rolled his eyes. 'That may be true, but the professor's are still going to dock your grades if you never turn in the homework assignments,' he said matter-of-factly. Sirius barked out a laugh from the other side of the table.

'Me thinks he doubts us James,' he smirked.

He flicked a crumbled piece of parchment at Remus. 'Lighten up mate, some of us are just trying to have a little fun… before the holidays begin.' Sirius' face darkened as he said this, and James knew that his friend wasn't looking forward to spending time with his family. He wondered how angry the Blacks would be at Sirius, especially now that Regulus had been sorted into Slytherin.

'You could come to my place,' James offered as he instructed his rook to take Sirius' bishop. 'Check.'

Sirius gave a half-hearted smile. 'I wish I could mate, but my parents are probably going to lock me up in my room the minute I get home.'

The four boys fell into silence for a few minutes, save for the sounds of James and Sirius' chess pieces. Remus finished his two foot long Transfiguration Essay and glanced over it with a satisfied smile. 'All right,' he said as he stowed it away in his bag. 'Let's find something to do, we've got all afternoon free.' James and Sirius heaved a sigh of relief.

'What should we do?' Asked Peter. James groaned as Sirius' took his queen.

'I could round up some people and we could play Quidditch?' he suggested after a moment.

Sirius grinned in excitement. 'Can I try your nimbus?' He said eagerly. James nodded, 'Remus you in?'

Remus reached for his bag. 'Yes, I suppose I'll have to bring a book then…' James grabbed his bag away from him.

'If you go with us, you're going to have fun with us,' he said firmly.

Remus stared longingly at his book for a moment before sighing in resignation. 'Fine,' he said shortly. He glanced over James' shoulder. 'Move your knight to E4,' he instructed. James did so and his eyes widened.

'That's checkmate!' He laughed.

'Moony you can't help him!' Sirius whined. Remus grinned and stood up, stretching. 'Well, who have you got in mind James?'

James quickly rounded up Frank Longbottom and Alice Dearborn from across the common room. They both agreed to play and went to grab their brooms. 'I'll get some of my friends,' Alice called back over her shoulder.

'Just make sure they know how to fly,' James responded.

On their way down stairs, they ran into the Prewett twins, who also agreed to play.

'It's important to have a little fun every now and then,' said Fabian as he high-fived his brother for no particular reason. 'Yeah,' said Gideon. 'With Dorcas running us all ragged, a nice little pick-up would be good for a change.'

By the time they arrived the pitch, several other people were already there. There were a couple of Hufflepuff sixth years that didn't play on their house team, as well as the Ravenclaw chaser, Andrew Johnson. He shook hands with the Prewett twins as they made their way onto the field. There was also a seventh year Gryffindor who James knew to be friendly, as well as James' friend Edgar Bones from Hufflepuff.

'Looks like we'll get some nice runs today,' Edgar said amicably as he greeted them.

Not long after, Frank and Alice arrived. There were two other girls following Alice. James recognized Marlene McKinnon, but the other was a girl in his year whose name he did not know. He frowned to himself. How did he still not know this girl's name after a year and a half?

'Potter this is Marlene,' Alice introduced her as James strolled over to meet them. 'And this,' she said pointing at the brown haired girl James didn't know, 'is Mary MacDonald.'

They all shook hands. James noticed that Marlene and Mary kept glancing at him and Sirius in turn, and his lip quivered in amusement. Fortunately Sirius was preoccupied with ogling James' nimbus and did not notice.

'All right let's play!' Alice whooped.

They split into two teams by a random drawing spell. James, Sirius, and Mary were on the same squad. Fabian played keeper for them—since they were playing without a snitch or a bludger—as did his twin brother on the other team.

'Here, James.' Sirius held out his nimbus, looking rather crestfallen.

James laughed, 'You fly with it, I'll use the school's cleansweep,' he said. Sirius beamed at him. 'We'll switch later,' he said quickly and took off with a loud whoop.

In the first few games they played, James and Frank showed off their skills by matching each other goal for goal. The Ravenclaw chaser Andrew Johnson was a terrific flyer as well, and James made a mental note to tell Dorcas or Cresswell about him later.

Remus and Peter on the other hand, were simply dreadful. Remus flew around aimlessly, seeming to enjoy watching the game rather than playing, and Peter was scared to fly, as he kept slipping and losing his balance. Meanwhile, the Prewett twins were giving Alice grief about her throwing form.

'You're the best seeker we've ever had,' said Fabian with a wicked grin. 'But you look like our grandmother when you lift the quaffle!' Gideon guffawed. Alice ignored them resolutely and took off for the other hoops.

James was surprised at the play of Mary MacDonald, the girl whose name he hadn't learned until that day. She was a good flyer—not very fast, but always in control. She assisted James many times for easy goals.

'Nice passing,' he called out to her. To his surprise, Mary blushed and flew off in the other direction.

They played for hours, until the sun began to set and the wind grew fiercer. Upon entering the warmth of the castle, they all gasped in relief. 'We made it just in time,' Remus noted with a glance out the front doors. 'The wind's really picked up now.'

They said goodbye to the others and headed back to the common room with Frank, Alice and the Prewett twins. Sirius was blabbering nonstop about the nimbus' unmatched speed and fluidity on the pitch.

'It was like it reacted to my thoughts,' he was explaining while moving his hands. 'I didn't even have to steer that much!'

'Yeah, that's why I let you fly it,' James joked. 'I needed to make sure you didn't fall off your broom.' He dodged a punch from Sirius and they entered the portrait hole, laughing.

Upon entering, they were met with the sight of Lily writing an essay by the fire. Aside from her, the room was quite empty. She looked up when they arrived and smiled at Alice.

'Finally back?' she asked as Alice made her way over to the couch. She scowled when James followed her and took a seat next to Alice.

'Why weren't you playing with us Evans?' he asked conversationally.

'Don't speak to me Potter,' Lily snapped.

James felt a wave of indignation rise on his behalf. Hadn't she had enough of this already? She had been ignoring him for nearly two months now, and he was sick of it.

'Let me guess,' he retorted, ignoring a warning look from Remus. 'Ickle Lilikins didn't go because she was worried that her essay was a whole millimeter too short!'

'Don't call me that,' Lily shot back angrily. 'And at least I'm not out fooling around and ignoring my homework just because it's almost break like some buffoons are!'

'You know what I think?' James snapped. 'I think you just don't want to admit that you can't fly to save your—' He yelped out in pain as Lily chucked her thick Potions textbook in his face and stormed up the stairs to the girl's dormitories.

James fumed silently as he stared up after her. Remus sighed from behind him. 'Why did I have a feeling this was going to happen?' he groaned as he rubbed his temples.

'Sod off,' James said irritably. He sank back down into the couch and stared at the flames.

At last, the day that they would all be leaving for the holidays came. As usual, James, Sirius and Peter had put off packing until the morning and they were now cramming random items of clothing and books into their trucks. Remus had already packed and once they were finished he stood up and checked his watch. 'All right let's head down,' he said.

The common room was filled with Gryffindors with packed trunks, waiting to go down to the carriages. Like last year, most of the students would be heading back home for Christmas.

Half an hour later, James stood on the platform of Hogsmeade station, waiting to board the gleaming Hogwarts Express. He turned and faced Hogwarts one more time before leaving. The year had gotten off to a rather eventful start, he thought to himself. But what was Christmas at Hogwarts really like? Surely it was incredible, with most of the students gone. He had fantasized about having free reign over the castle by staying behind, but in the end, his desire to see his parents again had won him over.

The train pulled into King's Cross Station that evening at seven. James hopped off the train with his luggage, followed by Sirius, Remus and Peter.

Remus spotted his parents and waved. 'I'll write as soon as I get back,' he shouted as he disappeared into the crowd. Not long after Remus left, Peter bid them goodbye, promising to write as well.

James turned and faced Sirius. 'You remember what I said the other day right?' he reminded his best friend. 'You can come visit whenever you want, mum and dad would love to have you,' he added.

Sirius beamed at him and they embraced. 'See you in two weeks,' he waved as he headed over to the gates.

James frowned at his retreating figure. He couldn't help but feel that Sirius' back looked incredibly lonely at the moment. Had his parents decided not to pick him up? What about Regulus?

A pair of arms wrapping around him from behind interrupted his thoughts. 'Hey mum,' he said as he hugged Mrs. Potter back.

Olivia Potter smiled at her son and James was immediately struck how much thinner she looked.

'I've missed you dear,' she sighed. 'C'mon we've got to hurry up. Have you got your trunk?'

James nodded. Mr. Potter was waiting for them by the gates.

'Dad!' James ran over to embrace his father.

'Said goodbye to all your friends?' He said with a small smile.

James took in his face and noted the streaks of gray in his father's once dark brown hair. 'Yeah, they all left,' he said.

'All right, we need to hurry up now that we've got you,' Mr. Potter said rather seriously. James was taken aback as his parents dragged him out the door of the station.

'Why are we in such a rush?' James asked as Mr. Potter called to several men standing outside. 'And who are they?'

'Aurors,' Mrs. Potter whispered in his ear. 'For extra protection.'

James frowned. Why did they need extra protection?

He was just about to ask when an Auror made his way over to them. James immediately recognized him from the Daily Prophet.

'Mad Eye Moody!' He exclaimed in surprise. 'You're the one who filled up half the cells in Azkaban!'

'James be respectful!' His mother scolded. She glanced around nervously. 'Shall we go then?' she asked Moody.

The man nodded gruffly. 'Get inside,' he growled at James. Mrs. Potter shot him a glare when he roughly grabbed James by the arm and threw him into a ministry vehicle.

Mr. Potter joined them soon after and the doors closed with a shut.

James' head was filled with questions as they began the ride home. Why were there so many Aurors at King's Cross today? And why was one of the ministry's best Aurors assigned to the simple task of escorting them back home?

His stomach lurched uneasily at the thought.


	35. Letters and Visitors

**Letters and Visitors**

**A/N: Hey everyone! I just wanted to let you know that I will be taking a 5-day break for spring break starting tomorrow. I will resume writing the minute I get back so stay tuned then!**

James heaved a deep sigh as he stared out of the window of his bedroom. The sky was murky and gray, and it had been raining heavily ever since they had left King's Cross Station a week ago. James passed the time by trying to spot the Aurors that he knew were stationed just outside of his home, but he could not find them. 'Probably in disguise,' he thought to himself as he walked over to his desk and began writing letters to Sirius, Remus and Peter.

He watched as Horace flew off into the rain, then he sat back down in his spot by the window and returned to his brooding in silence.

The week had passed by at a painfully slow rate for James. Upon arriving home from the station, he had badgered his parents with questions about the Aurors and why they were being guarded at all. At first they had been tight-lipped about the whole matter, but Mr. Potter eventually pulled James aside and told him.

'Your mother doesn't want me to tell you this, and the Aurors agree,' he began in a serious tone.

James stared back at him adamantly. 'I want to know,' he demanded.

Mr. Potter sighed and ran a hand through his messy hair.

'We've been tipped off by the Auror office,' he said after a moment of silence, 'that Lucien Rankin has been spotted in Diagon Alley in the past week… They fear that he may be targeting me.'

So on top of being placed under house arrest, James now had a murderer who was after his father to worry about. He couldn't play Quidditch to take his mind off of things either, due to the disastrous weather. Needless to say, he was in a rather irritable mood in the days leading up to Christmas.

James rumbled down the stairs when Mrs. Potter called him down for dinner. Mr. Potter was seated at the table already with a copy of the daily prophet in his hand. He looked up and smiled at his messy-haired son as he entered the dining room. 'So he was alive!' he joked as James took a seat and reached for a piece of bread.

James noticed the front page of the newspaper his father was reading and pointed at it. 'What's that you're reading dad?' He asked through a mouthful of food.

'James swallow first,' Mrs. Potter said sternly.

Mr. Potter appraised him for a moment before handing him the prophet. James looked over the front page and felt his blood boil. On the front page, in large bold letters, it read:

UNEXPLAINED STRING OF MURDERS IN LONDON: ONE WIZARD AND TWELVE MUGGLE CASUALTIES

'The one wizard who was killed was an old colleague of mine,' Mr. Potter said as he leaned back in his seat heavily. 'Roger Bergunson was his name… just like us, they called him a blood traitor.'

James dropped the newspaper back onto the table. He had suddenly lost his appetite. 'Twelve muggles who suffered unexplainable deaths,' he murmured. 'Dad, it's got to be the Death Eaters who did this!'

At that moment, Mrs. Potter appeared from behind them and demanded an end to the conversation.

'Honestly it's nearly Christmas, let's just be happy while- while we can,' she said with a small smile.

Mr. Potter kissed her on the cheek and stood up to do the dishes muggle-style. 'Why don't you go chat with Sirius on those magic mirrors you've got,' he suggested with a wink.

'Good idea dad, I'd forgotten I had those,' James said, and he raced upstairs.

Sirius' reaction to James' story was immediate and expected. James had to wait for nearly five minutes while his shaggy headed friend let out all of his shock and concern for James' well being. Once Sirius had finally managed to calm down a fair bit, they discussed the news that Mr. Potter had brought home.

'So this Rankin fellow is a Death Eater then?' Sirius confirmed. James nodded. 'Dad reckons he's one of Voldemort's inner circle as well,' he said. 'Apparently he's rather well known to the Aurors… he's evaded capture for a long time now.'

Sirius was eyeing James through the mirror with an uncharacteristically concerned expression. James frowned at him. 'You know I'll be fine mate, there are loads of Aurors here—I don't think any death eater in their right mind would come alone.'

Sirius seemed somewhat mollified by James' reasoning and they spent the rest of the evening before bed talking about their breaks and how boring they were. When James asked Sirius how he had gotten home from King's Cross, he simply shrugged and casually told him that he had walked home.

'It's only a twenty minute walk,' he said quickly when James opened his mouth in indignation. 'Regulus had to walk as well, so I wasn't too angry.'

He brushed a loose strand of hair from his eyes. 'Granted that didn't last very long,' he muttered. He proceeded to tell James about how the minute he had arrived at home, his parents had sent him to his room and locked him inside with instructions not to come out except to go to the bathroom because they were having 'respected' pureblood guests over, and they didn't want to explain why their son was wearing a Gryffindor scarf and hat around the house.

'Bloody hell that sounds awful,' James said sympathetically. Sirius nodded glumly. 'Yeah, it is- if I didn't have this mirror I probably would have killed myself yesterday,' he groused.

James chuckled. 'Nice to know I saved your life then,' he said. A while later, they both said goodnight and went to bed.

James woke up on Christmas Eve to see three owls pecking at his window. Although initially bewildered, he placed his glasses on his face and recognized that two of the owls belonged to Remus and Peter. The third owl was unfamiliar to him. He opened up the window and found that there were three separate letters addressed to him from Remus, Peter and Frank.

He sat down on his bed and read Remus' letter first.

_James,_

_ Sirius wrote to me and told me about your situation. I won't pretend that I'm not worried about your safety, but it's nice to know that you have extra protection from the ministry. My holiday has been relatively uneventful- my mum has been rather busy as of late so it's just me at home most of the time. I've already caught up on all the homework I've missed from all those detentions we got, and I think you and Sirius should think about completing some as well—since neither of you have anything better to do in the meantime. _

James grumbled to himself at Remus' choice of words here.

_In any case, I hope your holiday gets more exciting and if not, then I'll see you again at Hogwarts! _

_Merry Christmas,_

_Remus_

James placed Remus' letter on his desk and opened the second letter, which was from Peter.

_Merry Christmas James!_

_ How has your holiday been so far? We're having a blast over here! My uncles, aunts and cousins all came over for the first time in ages and my parents are thrilled. Guess what? My youngest cousin Benjamin recently showed his first signs of magic! Granted, all he did was make his hair grow out faster, but he's only three so it's an achievement! I don't think I showed any signs until I was nearly seven and a half… In any case, I hope your break ends well and I'll see you back at school soon._

_Peter_

James laughed as he placed Peter's letter next to Remus'. It was nice to finally have someone who didn't mention anything about the Death Eaters, or of how worried they were for his safety. James knew that Remus had meant well, but he was honestly getting quite tired of the concern he was getting as of late. He turned to the last letter, which was from Frank Longbottom, and read.

_James,_

_ Happy holidays! It's only been a week since break began but it feels like so much longer to me. My mum and I visited Alice and her family, and that's where I'm writing this letter to you right now—and yes, Alice is watching over my shoulder as I write so I can't tell you anything about how she spilled-_

That part was hastily scribbled out.

_Alice's family is really nice! Her brother Caradoc has been telling me all sorts of interesting stories about his job at Gringotts. Have you ever spoken to a goblin before? Apparently they're really interesting to have conversations with. Anyways, I'm glad that we decided to spend Christmas here. My mum was getting lonely as it neared Christmas because of what happened last year, but she seems really cheerful over here. I'm sorry for speaking about myself this whole time but I've got to wrap his letter up here, they're calling us down for breakfast. I can't wait for out next match! You and I had better practice our flying in our free time or else Dorcas will kick us both off the team._

_Alice says hello!_

_Merry Christmas, _

_Frank_

James read and reread Frank's letter a couple of times before setting it down next to the others and falling back onto his bed, unable to ignore the pangs of guilt in his stomach. He had forgotten that Christmas was a difficult time for Frank and Mrs. Longbottom because Lucien Rankin had slaughtered their entire family on Christmas last year—and here James was, moping at the fact that he didn't have anything to do over break.

James glanced back at Frank's letter and let a small smile flit across his face. At least Frank seemed to be happy about spending Christmas with Alice and her family. 'Perhaps something might happen between those two,' he mused. Then he shook his head and smirked—Frank was way too shy.

The day went by the same way every other day that week had. James ate breakfast with his parents, discussed some of the articles in the Daily Prophet, and then retreated to his room where he spent hours talking to Sirius through the mirror. His homework was still unfinished and lay neglected inside his trunk.

He wished he was allowed to practice some more curses or hexes to use on Snape, but decided against it, as the Aurors outside would probably flip out and think that Death Eaters had arrived in his bedroom.

That night, James fell asleep with the thought that at least tomorrow, he would have unopened Christmas presents to brighten up his tedious day.

In the dead of night, while the sky was still dark, James woke up with an incredibly dry throat.

He tiptoed down the stairs slowly so as not to awaken his parents, and walked into the kitchen.

The house was eerily silent, save for the periodic swinging of the old grandfather clock in the living room. The shadows of the furniture looked oddly foreboding against the bare wall of the hallway. James couldn't hear any crickets outside either.

He poured himself a glass of water and gulped it down satisfyingly.

He had just poured himself a second cup when he noticed what was wrong about the scene.

The door in the kitchen was wide open.

James stared at the open door in disbelief. Had his parents forgotten to close it before they went to bed? The idea sounded strange to him. Charlus and Olivia Potter would never miss something like this. Something was off.

James set down his cup and walked over to the door quietly. The night was cold, but there was no wind. James stepped outside and glanced around furtively. There was no sign of anyone. Perhaps it really had been an accident?

'I'll ask them tomorrow morning,' he muttered to himself with a yawn.

'_I'm afraid you may not have the chance to ask them by tomorrow,' _a cold voice drawled from nearby.

James whirled around as he had been heading back inside.

'Who's there?' he demanded, his heart thumping wildly in his chest.

The tall weeds in front of the house rustled, and a figure slowly emerged from them. The man was wearing a heavy travelling cloak, and his face was shrouded in darkness. As he walked forward, James could just barely make out the ends of his long hair under his hood.

'Who are you?' James demanded, wishing more than ever that he had thought to bring his wand with him.

The man dropped his hood and stepped into the moonlight.

James backed up a step in horror, his breath catching in his throat.

His face, once illuminated, was terrifying—deep scars that had been half-heartedly stitched up were scattered across the man's forehead and cheekbones. One of his eyes had no pupil and was completely white. The other eye was completely bloodshot, so that it looked almost red. He had long, dirty black hair that ended at his shoulders.

The man's features contorted grotesquely when his lips stretched into a menacing leer.

'Lucien Rankin,' he sneered with a mock bow.

'It's a pleasure to finally meet you… little_ James Potter.'_


	36. Unforgiveables and Hospitals

**Unforgivables and Hospitals**

**A/N: I'm back from spring break and feeling refreshed! Thanks for your patience. Now back to the story…**

James unwillingly took a step back as the intruder reached into his thick travelling cloak and drew his wand, a menacing glint in his good eye. Every fiber of his being was telling him to call for help—to run, but his feet remained rooted to the spot.

Rankin surveyed their surroundings with interest. 'I must say,' he drawled. 'The Potter residence certainly lives up to its name.'

As he finished his sentence, several sparks shot out from the tip of his wand and burnt several of Mrs. Potter's prized flowers to crisps.

James finally managed to find his voice. 'How did you get in here?' he demanded.

An ugly sneer lit up Rankin's features, twisting them unnaturally so that he looked more inhuman than ever. 'You speak of the good Aurors that were stationed here for your family's protection?'

When James nodded, Rankin threw his head back and cackled, sending shivers down his spine. 'What did you do to them?' he asked, fearing the worst.

Rankin finally stopped laughing. 'They are—how do I put it… very much dead,' he said casually.

James felt as though the bottom had dropped out of his stomach.

'Dead?' he echoed.

But there was no way they could be dead! There had been seven Aurors stationed around the house that night… and as far as James could tell, only one of Rankin.

'You _killed them?' _he said, horror gripping his chest like talons.

'That I did,' Rankin responded, still using the same calm voice.

James felt a sudden surge of anger that temporarily pushed aside any fear he may have felt. How could this man murder seven people and act as nonchalantly as if he was taking an evening stroll?

'You're sick,' spat James.

Rankin's grin widened, 'Yes, I am _sick _Potter—You're not the first one to have told me that.'

And he advanced on James like a predator closing in on its kill.

James backed up several steps until his back hit the wall. Looking around frantically, he picked up several rocks nearby and hurled them with all his might at Rankin's head.

Rankin incinerated them with a lazy flick of his wand. 'You can do better than that, can't you?' he taunted. 'I would have thought that Charlus Potter's son had more talent than this—where is your wand?'

A jet of purple light hit James' left leg and he fell to the floor in pain. His glasses slipped and fell off from the impact.

'Looking for these?' James could just make out Rankin's silhouette standing over him. He raised a boot and stepped on James' glasses with a loud crunch.

James rolled over and scrambled to his feet. He leaned against the wall for support as he caught his breath.

Rankin raised his wand again and another jet of purple light hurled itself towards James, who ducked just in time. He tried to run but cried out as his leg suddenly buckled in pain, allowing the next curse Rankin sent at him to find its mark.

James was caught in the chest this time and blasted backwards into the door of the Quidditch shed, which caved in noisily.

Wincing, he finally managed to push himself out of the rubble.

Just then, a light flicked on from the kitchen. James looked up and felt a surge of hope in his chest.

'Dad, mum!' he whispered.

The hope soon turned to fear, as Rankin had clearly also noticed the light and sent a curse hurtling towards the kitchen. James watched in horror as the windows shattered and the light flickered out.

'MUM, DAD!' James bellowed from the floor.

To his relief, Mr. and Mrs. Potter emerged from the wreck unscathed and wearing matching expressions of fury.

'James!' Mrs. Potter gasped when she saw him. 'Are you all right dear?' she cried as she knelt down beside him.

James nodded as he leaned on Mrs. Potter's shoulder. 'Just barely,' he grimaced. 'Where's dad?'

He looked around but both Mr. Potter and Rankin had vanished. 'Where'd they go?' he asked again. Mrs. Potter glanced around intently.

'James, promise me you won't move okay?' she said firmly.

'Mum, I—'

'Promise me James.'

James nodded. Mrs. Potter kissed him on the head and rushed off to join her husband.

From where he sat leaning against the shed, James could make out the sounds of combat just ahead, but he couldn't see what was going on. Several tense minutes later, the noise abruptly stopped.

James peeked around the wall. Had his parents finally won? Or had they…? James refused to even consider the thought.

The sound of laughter filled the air in the distance. James' heart thudded in his chest as he realized that it was not his parent's who were laughing. With a massive effort, he got to his feet and limped around the house.

He froze in shock and fear at the scene before his eyes.

Mrs. Potter was lying unconscious on the floor several feet from where Rankin stood over Mr. Potter, his wand pointing at his face. Mr. Potter spotted James and his eyes widened. He shook his head imperceptibly—

James lunged forward. 'DON'T TOUCH MY DAD!'

A fleeting look of surprise crossed Rankin's face as he whirled around, but he had the advantage. James' leg nearly gave out as he rushed, allowing Rankin to send him flying into the ground with a swift kick.

'James NO!' yelled Mr. Potter.

Rankin silenced him with a wave of his wand. He then rounded on James with a maniacal smile on his face.

'Not to worry Charlus, I shall take good care of your son for you once you're gone,' he sneered.

He bent down so that he was inches from James. James could feel Rankin's hot, musty breath on his face.

'You and I are more _similar _than you think James,' he breathed.

James suddenly felt open, exposed and vulnerable. His mind flashed with memories.

It was the first day of first year, and he had just met Sirius in the compartment. They were discussing which houses they wanted to be placed in. Then they had met the boy wearing shabby robes, Remus, and stood up to Lucius Malfoy for messing with him. The visages of Peter and Frank swam before his eyes, weaving in and out of focus as they were replaced by the vision of James, Frank and Alice flying on the pitch in preparation for tryouts…

Then he saw a flash of fiery, red hair—

'_Don't touch my son_!'

Mr. Potter had gotten to his feet and hurled a stunning spell at Rankin. Ranking leapt aside and retaliated with his own curse.

'James take your mother and run!' Mr. Potter bellowed as he barely managed to dodge a jet of purple light.

'I'm not leaving you!' James shouted as Rankin backed Mr. Potter into a corner.

Mustering all of his remaining strength, James charged forward and leapt onto Rankin's back, clawing his fingernails into Rankin's neck. Almost immediately, he was batted aside like a fly and landed with a thud at Rankin's feet.

Feeling dazed, James saw Rankin pointing his wand at him and the fearful look on Mr. Potter's face, as he shouted, 'NO!'.

'_Crucio_!'

James mind exploded into a world of agony. Never before had he felt so much pain. He couldn't think-all he could do was feel— Knives were piercing every inch of his flesh, while burning hot flames engulfed his body. He couldn't even register the bangs and screams around him— and he blacked out.

James could make out faint voices nearby. He tried moving his feet and hands, but found that it required energy that he did not have. 'Am I dead?' he thought to himself. He certainly couldn't move, but he was sure that the voices nearby were growing louder every second. That had to mean that he wasn't dead, that he was still—

James slowly opened his eyes. The brightness of the room startled him and he had to blink several times to adjust to it. As soon as his vision came into focus, he realized that he was lying in a bed. Around his, there were other beds, although there were no other inhabitants aside from him.

'_James!'_

He gasped in surprise when Mrs. Potter threw her arms around him, shaking with emotion. After several long moments, she pulled back, wiping her eyes.

'How do you feel dear?' she asked with concern.

James tried to speak but couldn't find his voice. Someone handed him a glass of water and he accepted it gratefully. He choked halfway through and someone had to thump him on the back several times before he stopped coughing.

'Thanks,' he gasped as he reached around for his glasses... his _glasses_.

With a sudden jolt of fear, he took in the room. 'Where is—?'

'I'm fine James,' said a voice to his left. 'And we're in St. Mungos.'

He turned and saw Mr. Potter sitting at his bedside looking rather worn, but smiling all the same. His left arm was in a sling and he had several purple bruises on his face.

'Dad,' he exclaimed as he leaned over to embrace his father.

'You're hurt,' he added as he took in Mr. Potter's injuries. Mr. Potter waved it off. 'This is nothing, nothing at all,' he said bracingly. His expression darkened.

'It's you we're all worried about James,' he added softly.

James gulped as the events came flooding back to him. He found that he really didn't want to talk about it, or even remember it… although he knew that was impossible because he could still _feel_ it.

'It was the Cruciatus curse.'

James glanced up and realized that his parents were not his only visitors. An elderly witch was seated at the foot of his bed, her sharp eyes fastened upon James. She was dressed in formal looking robes and her graying hair was pulled into a tight bun.

'Professor!' he said in surprise. 'What are you doing here?'

'Checking on you, of course,' said Professor McGonagall. Her expression softened, making her look much sadder and less stern than James had ever seen her before.

'I know you may not wish to speak of it Mr. Potter,' she said softly. 'And I am not here to ask any questions. I only wish that you realize how much you went through this past night.'

James swallowed. He was feeling extremely uncomfortable with the conversation.

Mrs. Potter wiped her eyes. 'I still can't believe… all seven Aurors were killed,' she whispered. A grave silence fell over them.

After a few tense moments, James finally asked the question that had been eating at him.

'What happened to Rankin?'

James question was met with three defeated expressions. He was struck by how exhausted his parents seemed to be.

'He… escaped,' Mr. Potter said after a moment.

'The ministry arrived with reinforcements as soon as they realized that they had lost contact with the Aurors stationed at our house. Unfortunately, Rankin is no ordinary dark wizard. He apparated out of our boundaries as though they weren't even there.'

Mrs. Potter hung her head in shame. 'I should have stopped him before—I should have realized something was off that night…'

'It is not your fault Olivia,' Mr. Potter said firmly. 'Thanks to your call for help, our son is safe!'

James felt hollow inside. Rankin had escaped unharmed, and in return he had taken the lives of seven Aurors. It had been a terrible loss, with no gain.

Professor McGonagall spoke again, interrupting James' thoughts.

'It would appear that you have visitors who wish to see you Mr. Potter,' she said with a small smile.

James had been so deeply engrossed in his own thoughts that he hadn't noticed the loud knocking on the door. He could hear voices on the other end-

'Oi let me through—'

'Please restrain yourself sir!'

'Where is he? Is he awake?'

'He's probably asleep.'

'I said let me through you miserable, old—'

'_This is a hospital! If you can not keep quiet I'll have to send you home Mr. Black!'_

The door burst open and James' spirits rose as he took in the sight of his windswept friends.

Sirius was the first to reach James' side. 'How do you feel mate?' he demanded. 'We heard—' he gulped, 'we heard that they used the Cruciatus curse on you,' he finished quietly.

'Sirius don't ask so many questions,' Remus scolded as he too pulled up a chair at James' bedside. 'Give him some space.'

James noticed that his parents had disappeared from the room, along with Professor McGonagall.

Rankin's scarred face flashed before James' mind and he felt fear grip his chest once more. '_He's seen them,' _he thought. '_I put them all in danger.'_

'James, are you all right?' Sirius, Remus and Peter's faces were all etched with concern.

James heaved a deep sigh.

'I've got a lot to tell you.'


	37. Surprises and Vows

**Surprises and Vows**

**A/N: Thank you for all the reviews! **

'Bloody hell.'

After James filled his friends in on his attack, they all stared at him with pale faces. Peter was chewing his fingernails nervously while Remus couldn't seem to find the words to voice his own thoughts. Sirius had stood up and was now pacing in front of James' bed restlessly.

'Sirius stop doing that,' said Remus. 'You're making us all jittery.' Sirius stopped in his tracks and ran a hand through his wavy hair.

'Sorry,' he muttered. 'I'm just thinking about this Rankin fellow.' Peter squeaked out in fear.

Remus sighed and propped an elbow on James' bed. 'It's a frightening thought isn't it… that he took on seven Aurors and won, all without James' parents noticing,' he muttered.

'They say he's Voldemort's most faithful Death Eater,' James said quietly. 'My dad told me.'

Remus frowned at him thoughtfully. 'There is one thing I wanted to ask you James… if you don't mind,' he added hastily.

James shrugged and motioned for him to continue. Remus cleared his throat. 'Was Lucien Rankin the one who—'

Remus' question was cut off when the door suddenly burst open, revealing a healer dressed in white robes. Next to her were three people, all of whom had red faces and winter jackets.

It was Frank, Alice and—James heart leapt—Lily.

'Please respect the patient, he needs his rest,' the healer said sternly. She stood aside to let them through.

'Potter, we only just heard!' Alice wheezed as she caught her breath. 'H-how are you?' She flushed. 'I mean, of course you aren't—they told us you were put under the Cruciatus curse…' she trailed off looking ashamed.

James forced out a laugh and motioned them to his bedside. Frank and Alice sat down, and after a moment, Lily also took a seat although he noticed that she wouldn't meet his gaze.

'I'm okay,' he said. 'Just a bit sore.'

Frank leaned in. 'Who was it?' He asked quietly. 'Who attacked you?' James hesitated. He wasn't sure if he should tell Frank, but upon seeing the boy's fierce gaze he relented.

'Lucien Rankin, Voldemort's right hand man,' he said.

Alice gasped. 'V-Voldemort's right hand man?' she echoed. Frank leaned back in his chair looking shocked. 'I don't understand… why you? Why send his most faithful servant after a second year?' he asked in a hushed voice.

'My dad's given him a lot of trouble in the past,' James said bitterly. 'I guess he just wants revenge now that he's-he's getting a bit older,' he trailed off.

'The ministry should have provided you with protection then!'

James looked up, startled. It was Lily who had spoken. Her knuckles were white as she gripped James' sheets.

'We did have protection,' he told her. 'Seven Aurors… and Rankin murdered all of them.'

Lily gasped. 'That's terrible…' she whispered.

Unable to withstand the conversation any longer, James searched desperately for a change in subject. He couldn't bear to sit with all of his friends and Lily, and speak about Rankin… not when he may have just painted targets on their heads by letting Rankin into his mind so easily.

He noticed that Frank and Alice were holding hands tightly. He pointed at their entwined fingers inquiringly.

'Are you two—?'

Frank and Alice looked at their fingers, and then at each other, and finally at James. They nodded, both looking incredibly embarrassed. Sirius immediately swooped in on them like a bat.

'You two are going out aren't you!' he declared, dramatically pointing a finger at them.

They waited for several moments for Frank or Alice to refute this claim, but they simply sat there under Sirius' gaze looking mortified. Then chaos erupted.

Lily turned and gaped at Alice. 'You never told me!' she squealed.

Alice hugged her apologetically. 'Sorry! It-it just happened over break,' she said happily. James, glad for a change in subject, got to his feet gingerly and joined Sirius in thumping a red-faced Frank on the back.

'Congratulations mate!'

'I knew it would happen sooner or later!'

'Have you _kissed_ yet?'

Peter's question stunned them all into silence.

Remus was glaring at Peter, who had broken into a cold sweat. 'Just kidding,' he whispered, his eyes darting around them fearfully. James slowly turned to look at Frank, whose face now resembled a ripe tomato.

'W-we haven't,' he said bashfully. Alice was staring at the floor, but it didn't escape James' notice that she was grinning.

'I'm really happy for you two,' he said seriously. 'Really, I'm surprised it took this long actually.' He grinned and Alice beamed at him. Lily was eyeing him with an odd expression on her face from behind her.

'Thanks James!' Alice said gratefully. He raised an eyebrow and she shrugged.

'I figured it's about time we call each other by our first names,' she said cheerfully.

While the others continued to shower Frank and Alice with jokes and demanded an explanation as to how they had gotten together, James turned to Lily and smirked.

'Hear that Evans? When are you and I going to get on a first name basis?' He teased.

Lily stuck her nose into the air haughtily. 'That would be the day you stop acting like a foul prat all the time,' she sniffed. Her expression softened slightly.

'I hope you feel better soon,' she mumbled awkwardly. 'I mean- I can't imagine… the Cruci—'

James held up a hand. 'Thanks Evans,' he said cheerfully. 'I must say that I feel a lot better now that you're here by my sickbed.'

Lily fidgeted uncomfortably, then checked her watch and did a double take. 'Oh no I'm late…' she moaned as she stood up hastily. 'I promised I'd be home by eight!'

Alice finally broke free from Sirius' nonstop stream of questions and made her way over to them. 'Leaving already?' She asked. Lily nodded. 'My parents are waiting in front of the fireplace,' she said as she pulled on her jacket. 'I'll see you soon!'

Lily waved at them as she left. As soon as the door shut behind her, James felt his spirits sink.

Sirius had clearly noticed this, for he whipped out a package. 'It's time for our Christmas presents!' he said gleefully.

To James' surprise, the others had all brought their presents for him along with them to St. Mungos. In light of the attack, he had completely forgotten that today was Christmas.

'Open mine first,' Sirius said eagerly, handing James a large, hastily wrapped package. James tore it apart and raised an eyebrow as he held up Sirius' present. It was a large photograph of the four of them in the Gryffindor common room. Like other wizarding photographs, the people inside this one moved and talked as well. James grinned as the photo-James chased the photo-Sirius around with a fanged Frisbee. 'Thanks mate, I'll keep this in my room,' he said as Sirius pretended to cry in delight.

'I sent you my gift last night, did you get it?' He added.

Sirius stopped joking around and looked livid. 'My mum got to it before I did,' he growled. 'And she threw it away as soon as she saw that you'd sent it… can you believe that old hag?!'

'She threw it away?' James exclaimed furiously.

He let out a sigh. Of course Sirius' parents wouldn't have been happy about their son having anything to do with him. 'No worries, I'll send you another one mate— I got you new Quidditch gloves,' he said bracingly. They proceeded to verbally abuse Sirius' parents and ten minutes later, Sirius looked much more cheerful.

'On to the next one!' he declared.

Next James opened Remus' present, —which to no one's surprise— included a book titled, '_The Fifty Most Useful Jinxes_,' as well as a box of chocolate frogs. In return, James had gotten his friend a book titled, '_Fifty Foolproof Ways to Woo a Witch,'_ and defended his choice by declaring that Remus needed as much romantic advice as he could get before it was too late.

While Remus glowered at him and Sirius, Frank and Alice laughed in amusement, James opened Peter's present, which was simply a humongous shipping of all kinds of candy from Honeydukes. He held up James' present, which was virtually the same thing, with a grin. 'Great minds think alike,' he quipped.

Sirius nudged him. 'I'm not sure about that Pete,' he said with a roguish wink. 'I'd say you two are more like idiots.' He dodged a punch from Peter and roared with laughter.

James turned to Frank and Alice apologetically. 'My presents for you two were still at home when it happened…' he said. 'They're most likely burnt to crisps by now.'

Frank held up a hand. 'It's fine, it's the thought that counts,' he said bracingly. He held out a package. 'This is Alice and my present to you,' he said bashfully. 'Thought you might like it.'

James plastered what he hoped to be an excited smile on his face as he opened their present, which was a pair of expensive Quidditch goggles. 'It certainly beats wearing glasses while flying,' Alice reasoned.

James tried the goggles on. 'Thanks you two, these are really cool!'

Not long after he opened their present, Alice and Frank stood up at the same time, saying that they needed to return home. 'I hope you get out of here soon James!' Alice called to him before they disappeared behind the door.

Remus was the next to leave, followed by Peter. The two boys promised to come and visit James once more before they returned to school. 'Merry Christmas,' Remus said as he waved goodbye.

James and Sirius were now the only ones left in the room.

'You don't have to pretend anymore you know,' Sirius said casually as he propped his feet on James' bed.

He raised an eyebrow when James looked at him inquiringly. 'I'm your best mate,' he said simply. 'I can tell you don't want to talk about it, so I won't ask.'

James felt a rush of gratitude towards Sirius. However, this was quickly replaced by a pang of guilt.

'Sirius,' he said slowly. 'There's something I need to tell you… it's something Rankin said last night when he attacked me.'

Sirius jerked his head to face James. 'What did he say?' he demanded.

James recounted how Rankin had probed into his mind that night and seen all of his close friends, Sirius included. He also admitted his fear that it was his fault they were all in danger now. When he was finished, he found Sirius glaring at him.

'What?' he asked.

Sirius reached forward and smacked him upside the head. 'Oi!' James exclaimed angrily. 'What the hell was that for?'

'For being a prat,' Sirius said calmly. 'Look James, we were all in danger whether or not Rankin saw into your mind last night.'

James didn't respond right away, for he didn't quite get what Sirius was saying.

Sirius leaned forward in his seat.

'I'm the first member of the Black family line to be sorted into Gryffindor,' he said firmly, staring James in the eye. 'Longbottom's whole family was slaughtered last year, and he could very well have been killed that night too,' he added. 'Remus is a werewolf, and if word ever got out, Voldemort would definitely want to recruit him to his side. Peter is our closest friend, so that puts him in just as much danger as the next person. Alice is dating Frank now, so that puts her in the spotlight as well. And Lily… Lily is muggle-born James, I think that's self-explanatory.'

He clapped James on the shoulder bracingly.

'You see? We were all targets before and this doesn't change anything. It's not your fault mate.'

James stared at Sirius for a moment before he broke out laughing. Sirius looked like he thought that James might be mad, but he couldn't help but join in and the two of them rolled around in mirth for a while.

'What the bloody hell is so funny?' Sirius demanded as he wiped his eyes.

James shrugged. 'I dunno, I just needed a laugh,' he replied.

They stared at each other for a moment.

'Next time,' Sirius vowed. 'You won't be alone.'

James grinned at his best friend and they bumped fists. 'Marauder's always have each other's backs,' they said in unison, before breaking into another fit of laughter.


	38. Outbursts and Compliments

**Outbursts and Compliments**

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! In response to a couple of reviews that mentioned wanting to see more of James and Lily, thank you and I agree! Right now I'm focusing on developing them as individuals, but as you will see throughout this story, their relationship is pretty complicated. Now back to the story!**

James' spirits were improved by the time Sirius returned home later that night. However, the following week was nothing short of dreadful for him. He could not move or exercise, and all he was allowed to do was homework. On top of that, various reporters from the ministry had been clambering over each other to interview James about his attack, giving him little to no time to himself.

Whenever James was alone in his bed, his mind would always drift to the night Rankin had shown up on his doorstep. Every time he closed his eyes, he could feel the Cruciatus curse eating away at his skin, forcing him to lay awake in a cold sweat each night. Despite Sirius' assurances that his friend's being in danger wasn't his fault, James continued to dwell on the fact that he had let Rankin into his mind so easily, and given him access to his friends as well. The more he thought about it, the worse his guilt became until he could no longer stand it and gulped down a dreamless sleep potion to get some much needed rest.

The day that James would return to Hogwarts dawned cold and dreary. The sky outside the window of the ministry vehicle he was riding in seemed to reflect his mood. 'We're almost there,' said Mr. Potter from where he sat in the front seat. 'Hang on tight.' The vehicle swerved and looped through muggle traffic before finally coming to a screeching halt in front of the iron gates of King's Cross Station.

His parents saw him off at platform 9 ¾. 'Stay out of trouble,' Mrs. Potter said into his shoulder as she embraced him. 'And remember to have some fun as well!'

'I will mum, dad,' James said as he heaved his trunk off of the cart.

He waved at his parents one last time before boarding the Hogwart's Express. He made his way to the back of the train and found Sirius, Remus and Peter sitting in their usual compartment. Remus looked up from his book when James opened the door and offered him a small smile.

The train-ride passed by quickly and uneventfully. James remained rather quiet throughout the entire trip, only speaking when his friends asked him questions. There seemed to be a kind of unspoken tension between the four of them, and none of them seemed to want to mention it out loud. It was to James' relief, then, that they pulled into Hogsmeade station half an hour ahead of schedule.

Unfortunately, James' foul mood did not go away after his return to Hogwarts. He was uncharacteristically cranky and irritable, and he even snapped at Edgar Bones for coming over during breakfast and asking him if he was all right. 'I'm fine, why does everybody keep asking me that?' he muttered as he stared after Edgar's retreating figure. Remus looked at him sympathetically. 'They're just worried about you James,' he said. 'I would think that they don't know how they should act around you just yet.'

'Yeah well, I'm tired of answering the same questions over and over again,' he snapped.

James' first class, Transfiguration did not sail smoothly either. While he normally had no trouble mastering anything Professor McGonagall threw at him on the first try, today he found himself incapable of performing the simple task that she had assigned them for their first lesson back— transforming a quill into a birch branch.

'I see,' Professor McGonagall said as she peered at him over her spectacles. 'Very well then, keep trying Mr. Potter.' James swore under his breath as she moved on to the next student. He noticed Lily was eyeing him curiously from the front of the room but she quickly turned back to her own quill.

'You alright mate?' Sirius asked from next to him. 'You never need more than one try to get it right,' he added. James just shrugged noncommittally. 'Not in the mood today,' he said, feeling tired all of a sudden. Sirius looked at him for a moment before setting his own branch down.

James hardly paid Professor Flitwick any attention during Charms an hour later, choosing to stare out of the window in silence instead. This did not go unnoticed by the tiny Charms professor, and he promptly deducted ten points from Gryffindor for James' lack of attention. To his annoyance, nobody seemed to want to meet his eyes when he had protested to Flitwick, so he stormed out of the room when the bell rang.

James was still fuming during Potions with Slughorn, although the jovial Potions master did a good job of pretending not to notice— or perhaps he did, he just didn't want to say anything about it, which James was secretly grateful for. However none of these classes compared to the Defense Against the Dark Arts Lesson that afternoon.

As the students piled in, buzzing with chatter, James took his usual seat next to Sirius in the back of the room. Selwyn entered a moment later, looking just as grim and sallow-faced as he had always been.

'Good afternoon,' Selwyn said coldly addressing them. 'I am glad to see that everyone has returned safely from holidays.' His sharp eyes landed on James, who felt a stab of irritation in the pit of his chest as he stared back at him. Selwyn broke his gaze and turned once more to the class at large.

'I understand that learning Defense Against the Dark Arts is not the prime topic of discussion at the moment,' Selwyn continued after a moment. 'It seems that the hot topic of discussion in all of my classes today… has been about the attack on Godric's Hollow this past week.'

Several people gasped at his bluntness, and James could feel the eyes of everyone in the room fixed upon him. He felt another pang of anger. Who did Selwyn think he was, putting him on the spot like that? James was already fed up as it was with all of the concerned looks and well wishes he had been getting as of late, but Selwyn's approach didn't strike James' fancy either.

Selwyn spoke over the murmurs in the classroom. 'What Mr. Potter went through over break,' he said coldly. 'Is a prime example of _complacence. _Times are growing darker outside of these walls, and if you wish to survive what is coming—' he smirked at James, who had stood up, shaking with fury — 'then you must never let your guard down like the Potter's di—'

'SHUT THE HELL UP!'

There was a ringing silence in the classroom.

James was breathing heavily- his shaking fists clenched tightly by his sides. His chair had toppled over when he stood and now laid on its side. He was certain— that aside from Rankin and Voldemort, he had never hated someone more than he did at that moment. Selwyn's expression remained impassive as he appraised James. 'You have an objection Mr. Potter?' He asked coldly.

James did not respond, he just glared at the man in front of him, hoping that he would die a gruesome death someday.

Selwyn's lips morphed into a smile. 'Perhaps you could enlighten us, Mr. Potter,' he said in a silky voice. 'On the abilities of those who were entrusted to _protect _your family prior to the attack on y—'

'There were seven Aurors who _died_ to protect us! Don't you think it's very inappropriate to be speaking about how well they fared?'

The people around James all sucked in a breath. Remus seemed to be frozen in his seat, his eyes darting from James to Selwyn nervously. Selwyn merely nodded, his eyes never leaving James' face. 'I meant no disrespect of course,' he said calmly. 'I merely meant to point out the mistake your parents made when they thought that seven Aurors alone could handle one of the Dark Lord's most trusted—'

'Don't talk about them like they died because of some kind of stupid _mistake_!' James roared. He couldn't stop the words that flowed out of his mouth next. 'And you speak like you're one of Voldemort's admirers— always calling him the _dark lord _whenever you mention him!'

These words seemed to have hit their mark. Selwyn's calm façade faded and his face contorted in fury. A shiver ran down James' spine as Selwyn stared at him intently, and he suddenly felt the familiar sensation of having his mind open and exposed— 'AND STOP TRYING TO GET INTO MY HEAD!'

They stared at each other— James breathing heavily and Selwyn looking absolutely livid.

'Kindly gather your belongings and _leave_ my classroom Potter. Now.' He said in a low and dangerous voice.

Wordlessly, James grabbed his bag from the floor and stormed out of the classroom without a second glance. When he was a corridor away, the bell rang signaling the start of their afternoon break.

He had just slowed down to a walk when he heard rapidly approaching footsteps and someone calling his name from behind.

'I don't want to talk about it Sirius,' he said shortly.

'It's Lily.'

James turned around and found himself face to face with Lily Evans, who was bent over, trying to catch her breath. James stared at her for a moment in disbelief, before turning and walking away. 'Hey wait!' Lily called after him, jogging to catch up.

He sucked his teeth in irritation. 'What do you want?' Lily looked uncomfortable.

'I just wanted to say that I don't agree with anything Professor Selwyn said back there, that was wrong of him,' she said. James stopped in his tracks.

'Is that all you want Evans?' he snapped. Lily looked annoyed for a moment before answering. 'No, I just… well, I wanted to know if- if you were okay,' she finished lamely.

'I'm fine now leave me alone.'

'You're clearly not okay, you've been snapping at anybody who's approached you today!' She said hotly.

'Yeah well, that's none of your business is it?' He retorted. Lily ran a hand through her hair in frustration. 'I don't know why I bothered, I just wanted you to know—'

'Know what?' James interrupted her impatiently.

Lily glared at him. 'I wanted you to know that this isn't like you. You're always cheerful, abrasive and cocky, not like this,' she gestured at him. James let out a hollow laugh. 'Yeah… right,' he said. 'Like I'm supposed to believe that after you've spent a year telling me that I'm a bloody toerag— thanks for the effort Evans,' he said sarcastically.

Lily shoved him into a wall with such force that James dropped his bag in shock. 'What the hell was that for?' he demanded. Lily crossed her arms with a defiant expression on her face and her hair seemed to crackle with electricity. James gulped in spite of his anger.

'Listen to me Potter, and make sure you actually LISTEN!' she said angrily. 'Nobody knows how to act around you when you've just been through so much,' her expression softened and she continued in a slightly lower tone. 'People are wishing you well because they haven't got a clue how you'll react if they just act like nothing happened.'

James avoided her gaze and stubbornly stared ahead.

'And you're not a bloody toerag— at least not always,' said Lily.

James looked at her in surprise. Lily was staring at the floor, looking rather embarrassed. 'I saw you save that girl at the lake,' she said simply. 'It was stupid, and ill advised… but it was also admirable.'

James raised an eyebrow at her. 'Was that another compliment from Lily Evans?' he asked sarcastically— but he couldn't deny his growing interest in the conversation.

Lily cleared her throat loudly. 'Let me finish,' she said impatiently. 'You're always there for Frank and Alice when they need you, and I think it's in part thanks to you that they're dating now.'

James shook his head, although he was surprised to notice that he felt a lot lighter than he had ten minutes ago. Was it because Lily had just complimented him- _twice? _

'I don't know what you're talking about Evans,' he said finally. 'They were made for each other and you know it.'

Lily laughed and James' heart skipped a beat. 'I'm not arguing that,' she said. 'But I'm not done yet—' she flushed slightly as James' eyebrows shot even higher. Was it wildly delusional on his part to think that maybe…. maybe he was about to receive a _third _compliment from Lily Evans in the span of two minutes?

'I'm listening, how many more have you got prepared for today?' he teased.

Lily ignored him and badgered on.

'You helped Alice and me practice the reductor curse when we didn't understand how to do it. And you're always helping Peter with— well everything,' she said.

James frowned as a thought struck him.

'I did help Alice with the reductor curse,' he said slowly. 'But I don't seem to recall—'

To his surprise, Lily suddenly flushed red and became extremely fascinated with a spot on the wall behind James. A memory flashed across his mind from the day he and Alice had used the empty classroom to practice the curse.

_Alice attempted several more tries, each one breaking the dummy apart more than the last. Finally at a quarter past eight, they decided to call it a night. James repaired both dummies and placed them back into the closet. 'I'd say you're ready for Selwyn now,' he said. Alice nodded excitedly. 'Thanks again Potter, I don't know where I'd be without you!' she gushed._

_James winked. 'I always aim to please,' he quipped._

_They had just turned around to leave when James accidentally stepped into a desk, which toppled over with a loud bang. There was a loud yelp from somewhere behind him._

_'Sorry Dearborn, I wasn't watching,' he apologized._

_Alice shook her head, 'That wasn't me,' she said with a frown. James glanced around. 'Is there someone else in here?' He called._

_No response._

_James turned to Alice and shrugged. 'Probably just the desk anyway,' Alice said nonchalantly and they made their way back to the common room._

James stared at Lily, who was shuffling her feet, and burst out laughing as the realization hit him.

'That was you! Blimey Evans, who knew you were so good at sneaking around undetected?' Lily looked mortified at her slip up. 'I- I didn't— oh shut up!' she spluttered. James was now leaning against the wall for support. He didn't know why he was laughing so hard, but it felt amazing. For the first time in weeks, he was himself again.

Lily tried to look unamused but her lips soon tilted upwards. 'Careful Potter, I might hex you if you don't stop laughing,' she warned.

James wiped his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Lily.

Lily's eyes widened and she pushed back looking startled. 'What are you doing?' James grinned. 'I'm just expressing my gratitude for you making my day— yet again!' he said cheerfully. Oh, how light he felt!

Lily looked at him as though concerned for his sanity.

'Well…' she began, looking flustered. 'I've got to go now,' she tried to make a hasty exit, but James reached out a hand, stopping her in her tracks. He pulled her back so that she was hidden behind a suit of armor to his left, wordlessly motioning for her to stay put.

James turned to the boy standing in front of them, and the feeling of lightness vanished as suddenly as it came, only to be replaced by a fresh wave of anger.

'Well… if it isn't _Snivellus.' _


	39. Skirmishes and Missions

**Skirmishes and Missions**

'Potter what—?' Lily looked at James in confusion from where she hid behind the suit of armor, as he silently motioned for her to be quiet. Snape strolled up to him with a smirk on his face, completely unaware of Lily's presence.

'What are you up to now Potter— Trying to catch a little _alone_ time?' He sneered.

James straightened up. 'It's actually quite obvious what I'm doing Snape, if you would just pay attention. I'm clearly standing here looking out the window,' he deadpanned.

Snape scowled at him and glanced around. Apparently satisfied that they were alone, he then pulled out his wand with a smirk. 'None of your bodyguards are here to protect you this time Potter— it's just you and me,' he taunted. 'Or is the boy who survived a Death Eater attack too scared to fight after that _traumatic _experience?'

James clenched his fists his anger as he stepped towards Snape. He could see Lily staring at Snape in shock out of the corner of his eye. 'I suggest you don't speak about things you don't understand Sniv, because I'll make you swallow your words,' he growled.

Snape let out a cold laugh. 'And you think I'm afraid of _you_? The boy who was reduced to a babbling vegetable from one curse?'

James felt a surge of white-hot fury course through him. Snape had no idea what it was like to have the Cruciatus curse tear his mind to pieces. He had no idea what it was like to feel his eyeballs being gouged out every time he closed his eyes— and here he was acting like James was some pathetic weakling for fainting from it.

'If I've gone and survived an attack from Voldemort's top Death Eater, then I hardly think you'll be too difficult to wipe the floor with,' he said arrogantly. Snape's expression darkened at the mention of Voldemort's name.

'You are such a child Potter— only fools would dare speak the n—'

'Only fools you say?' James cut across him coldly. 'Watch your tongue Snivellus, because seven people died fighting him last week… and that's not to mention all the others he's murdered— though I wouldn't expect you to care.'

Snape laughed again, his greasy hair falling like curtains onto his face. 'That is that and this is this,' he sneered. 'Now… perhaps I should show you the extent of my prowess, maybe that will help deflate your gigantic head a bit.' Snape pointed his wand at James and a jet of white light burst from the tip. James was forced to dive out of the way, and the spell hit the wall behind him, causing the stone to crack.

'Nonverbal spells?' James thought to himself. That was certainly a surprising trick that Snape had up his sleeve. He didn't have much time to dwell on it however, as a second and third spell were hurled at him in succession and he had to roll on his side to avoid both of them. He leapt to his feet and lunged forward, his blood boiling. Snape raised his wand once more but James reached out and swatted it aside, before sinking his fist into Snape's nose with a satisfying crunch.

Snape's wand rolled on the floor as he fell to the floor, clutching his face and howling in pain. James was on top of him in a second, pummeling him with his fists. 'Don't you EVER speak like that about those Aurors Snape!' he roared as he punctuated each blow with a word.

'STOP IT RIGHT NOW!'

James was suddenly blown off of Snape by a powerful spell, which sent him cartwheeling backwards into a wall. When he had finally shaken all of the stars out of his vision, he realized that Lily had made herself known and was panting heavily.

'What. Are. You. THINKING?!' she shouted at James, looking absolutely enraged. James pointed at Snape incredulously. 'Oh come on Evans, did you not hear a word that came out of his mouth?!'

Lily glared at him. 'Oh, and that makes it okay to just _beat _him to death is it?'

Meanwhile, Snape had gotten to his feet, and was staring at Lily in undisguised shock as he clutched his bleeding nose. '_L-Lily?!' _His taunting persona had disappeared and he suddenly looked quite fearful. 'What are you doing—?'

'AND YOU!' Lily roared as she rounded on Snape. 'I can't believe you would say those terrible things, Severus Snape!'

Snape's had an expression appropriate to having been smashed in the head by a particularly vicious bludger.

'B-but Potter! Did you see him Lily? He was beating me up like a _muggle_!' he protested, turning and glaring at James. Lily stomped her foot angrily. 'I don't care what he's done, it's what you said that started it this time!' she snapped.

'Oh so you're blaming this all on me when I'm the one who's injured, I'm the victim here Lily!' Snape yelled. Lily shook her head, suddenly looking quite drained. 'Y-you— I just don't feel like I know you anymore Sev,' she said, sounding defeated. 'Ever since we came here, you've been… different.' Snape looked thunderstruck. 'I-I don't know—' he began but James cut him off loudly.

'She means that you've become a little Death Eater wannabe, isn't that right?'

Snape and Lily both turned to James. Lily looked shocked at what he had just implied, while Snape glared daggers at him. James shrugged. 'It's true isn't it?'

He had let his guard down for one moment and the next thing he knew, Snape's curse had sent him flying to the floor with angry red welt marks spotting his face and neck. James leapt to his feet and sprinted towards Snape, thinking only of revenge. Lily shouted, '_Potter stop!'_ but he didn't listen. He had just leapt through the air towards Snapewhen there was a loud bang and suddenly James found himself hanging in the air by his ankle. One glance sideways told him that Snape was in the same predicament.

'What is going on here?'

James turned his head slowly, fearing the worst. Sure enough, standing beneath him, and wearing an unreadable expression— was Albus Dumbledore. His normally twinkling eyes were impassive, and he did not look pleased at the sight of them.

'Miss Evans, might I ask that you leave the three of us for a moment? I have a few words I need to impart to these two.'

Dumbledore nodded at Lily, who immediately stormed off without a second glance. James watched her go with a sinking feeling in the pit in his stomach. He couldn't help but feel that he might have just taken a large step back in her books, thereby cancelling out whatever progress he may have made with her earlier.

'Now,' Dumbledore turned back to them and his ice blue gaze seemed to penetrate into James' soul. 'Can you gentlemen please explain to me the cause of your dispute?'

Snape immediately raised a finger and pointed at James. 'Podder broge by nose,' he accused through his nosebleed.

Dumbledore turned to James. 'And why, James, did you break Severus' nose?'

James shifted uncomfortably under the headmaster's stare. After a moment, he realized that there was no point in lying to the wise, old wizard. 'Snape said something that made me angry, and I punched him,' he said. Dumbledore let his gaze linger on James for a moment longer, before he addressed them both.

'I hope I can make it clear to you boys, that fighting is prohibited at Hogwarts,' he said evenly. 'On an even more important note, you two _must_ realize that your increasingly frequent bouts are causing Miss Evans a lot of distress.'

James stared at his feet guiltily as Dumbledore turned to Snape. 'Severus please see to it that you pay Professor Slughorn a visit later today. He, being your head of house, will decide your punishment.' Dumbledore smiled serenely and Snape took it as a dismissal. After shooting one last scowl at James, he stalked off, his robes billowing behind him like large bat wings.

'Professor I'm sorry,' James said automatically. 'I shouldn't have, I— he… he insulted the Aurors that died,' he finished.

Dumbledore placed a calming hand on his shoulder. James looked up into his eyes, which were once again twinkling.

'There is actually much that I wish to speak to you about James,' said the headmaster. 'I was hoping that you and I could take a little walk and have a nice chat.' James followed obediently as Dumbledore strolled off at a leisurely pace. He had to walk a little faster than normal due to the older wizard's long strides.

After several minutes of silence, James glanced up at Dumbledore. 'Uh, what exactly is it that you wanted to speak to me about Professor?' He asked curiously.

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. 'Ah yes, yes thank you James… I had almost forgotten!'

James laughed incredulously, for the idea that the greatest wizard of all time could forget something so simple was rather amusing. 'Sorry, sir,' he amended with a cough. Dumbledore simply smiled and gestured to another hallway.

'I'm sure that you already know the topic that I wish to discuss, but of course— only if you give your consent to have this conversation,' he said conversationally. James shrugged. 'I'm okay with it.'

Dumbledore nodded slowly. 'Very good. Now… I want you to explain to me in great detail, what happened at your home on the night of Christmas Eve.'

Something about Dumbledore's tone and the way he phrased the questions calmed James, and he found that he didn't mind sharing his secrets with the headmaster. Before long, he was telling Dumbledore about waking up in the night to find the kitchen door open, and how Rankin had seemingly appeared out of the weeds in front of the house. He told him about Rankin prying into his mind, the short duel that Rankin and Mr. and Mrs. Potter had, and how he had tried to help but ended up getting hit with the Cruciatus curse.

'And that was when I passed out, and the ministry reinforcements arrived,' he finished.

Dumbledore was nodding thoughtfully as he told his story. 'Interesting,' he said slowly. James stopped walking. There had been an inner battle waging inside of him the whole time as to whether or not he should tell Dumbledore about his guilt in endangering his friends. Eventually, he came to his decision, as Dumbledore seemed to invite confidence at a glance.

'Professor,' he began awkwardly.

'Yes James?' Dumbledore had turned to face him, as though he had been expecting this.

James cleared his throat. 'When Rankin got into my mind… it was like he knew what to look for. He- he found out about my friends— everyone I care about, and he knows where they live and who they are now. I-I think I've put them in danger sir, and I can't stop dwelling on it.'

To his surprise, Dumbledore smiled at his confession. 'Ah, I'm glad you brought that up James,' he said merrily. James looked at him with a puzzled expression on his face. Upon seeing James' confusion, Dumbledore stopped walking and turned so that he was facing him.

They were standing directly in front of the kitchens now.

'You mentioned having the feeling that Lucien Rankin could see into your mind, where all of your hearts greatest treasures lie— is that correct?' James nodded. Dumbledore ran a hand through his long beard. 'James, I would like you to do me a favor for the rest of the year,' he said softly. 'I would like you to take private lessons with Professor Selwyn.'

James stared at the aged wizard in shock.

'_What_?!' he exclaimed. 'I don't- what for?'

Dumbledore had a knowing look in his eye. 'I trust you have already heard about his _mission_?'

James gulped. Could Dumbledore possibly know that he and Sirius had eavesdropped on his conversation with Selwyn earlier in the year? As if he was reading James' mind, Dumbledore winked at him. 'I don't need a wand to see through walls James.' James nodded dumbly for a moment before the idea of having private lessons with his least favorite person in the school crossed his mind once more.

'Sir, why do I have to have extra lessons with Selwyn—'

'Professor, James,'

'Sorry… Why Professor Selwyn? I'm doing fine in Defense Against the Dark Arts I don't need remedial!'

Dumbledore chuckled in amusement. 'My dear boy, you will not be having remedial classes with Professor Selwyn. No… no this is much more important than that.' He paused. 'James, do you know who Professor Selwyn is outside of Hogwarts?' James shook hid head. He had never liked the Defense teacher, so he had never bothered asking about his background.

Dumbledore looked James in the eye. 'He is a renowned _Legilimens_. A wizard who can read other people's minds James.'

James felt a variety of emotions, the first of which was shock. Then he realized that what Dumbledore had just said made perfect sense— hadn't he always gotten the feeling that his mind was exposed around Selwyn? Well that certainly explained a fair bit.

'Can you hazard a guess at the purpose of these lessons James?' asked Dumbledore.

James was silent for a moment. After he had just conveyed his fears to Dumbledore, there could only be one reason for these lessons. Only one purpose for Selwyn's 'mission.''

'It's so I can learn to strengthen my mind against Rankin isn't it?' he said slowly.

Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling again. 'You're as clever as your father James,' he said with a nod. 'Now, before we part ways, I must stress upon you the _absolute _importance of these lessons. I am aware that you and Professor Selwyn may not see eye to eye, but he is without a doubt, a brilliant Legilimens who is comparable in ability to Lord Voldemort himself— and it is my belief that having him practice with you would give you more peace of mind in the future.'

James nodded, although he still hadn't warmed up to the idea. 'I understand sir,' he said grudgingly. 'When is the first lesson?' he asked.

Dumbledore smiled serenely and strolled off. 'That, James, is a matter you must discuss with him!'

James blinked and rubbed his eyes as the headmaster suddenly vanished on the spot.

'I thought you couldn't apparate in Hogwarts,' he muttered to himself.


	40. Nightmares and Misunderstandings

**Nightmares and Misunderstandings**

**A/N: Snape is not a Death Eater yet; James was angry and called him a **_**wannabe. **_**That doesn't mean he is a Death Eater. Lily does not hate Snape, they just had a fight/argument. Hope that clears things up for some people.**

**Disclaimer: I should probably start writing more of these. I do not own anything you recognize from the "Harry Potter" series. That belongs to JK Rowling.**

'You're having _private lessons _with Selwyn?' Sirius exclaimed, looking astounded. After his impromptu meeting with Dumbledore that afternoon, James had immediately sought out his friends in the common room and recounted his conversation with the headmaster. As expected, Sirius held the same views as James and seemed to pity him for having to spend extra time with the Defense Professor. Remus on the other hand, agreed wholeheartedly with Dumbledore's decision, saying that it would help James 'clear his mind' of the whole matter with Rankin.

'I think it's a great idea,' he said earnestly, looking up from his extensive Potions essay. 'It could help you with your nightmares James.'

'_Shhhhh_!' James glanced around wearily before glaring at his studious friend. 'Don't say that so loudly Moony, someone might overhear you!' Remus rolled his eyes and returned to his essay. 'You should go see him tomorrow,' he said over the top of his textbook.

James sighed and threw himself back on the couch, gazing into the flames in the fireplace. After a few minutes, James noticed that Sirius was staring at him intently from his seat in the armchair. 'What?' he asked. Sirius leaned forward and studied James' face.

'Where'd you get that from?' he asked, pointing to the purplish bruise on James' cheekbone. James lifted a hand and touched his cheek gingerly. In light of his conversation with Dumbledore, he had completely forgotten about his injuries.

'I fought with Snape.'

Remus tore his eyes from his work and stared at James incredulously. 'Not again,' he moaned. 'It wasn't my fault, he picked a fight with me!' James said defensively.

When Remus didn't look convinced, James threw up his hands in frustration. 'Fine then! Evans was there, you can just a—'

Just then, the door to the common room opened and Lily slunk in looking rather upset. She walked to the other side of the room to join Marlene McKinnon and Alice by the window.

James turned and saw Remus eyeing him with a raised eyebrow. 'She was there,' he said weakly.

'Judging by her demeanor, I'd wager that you had more to do with starting the fight than you said so,' Remus said smugly. James sat back with a huff and groaned.

'Well, at least she's mad at Snivellus,' Sirius said in an attempt to cheer him up. 'Yeah, bloody git deserves it,' James said moodily.

Unfortunately, the solution to James' fears was not as simple— as Remus put it— as 'clearing his mind'. He had been having nightmares of the attack every night since Christmas, and that night was no exception.

_James was back at home in Godric's Hollow, but the fields of grass and weeds were not lush and green, but barren and desert-like. Rankin's terrifying visage swam in and out of his vision, taunting him endlessly. The faces of his friends flashed before James' eyes before bursting into smithereens in a flash of green light— then Rankin raised his wand and he once again fell into the pit of agony that was the Cruciatus curse…_

James woke up in a cold sweat, panting heavily. He glanced around to make sure he was still at Hogwarts, before sighing throwing himself back onto his bed in relief. However with all the twisting and turning he had done in his sleep, James suddenly found that he had leaned back the wrong way and landed with a painful thud on the cold wooden floor in a tangle of sheets. Cursing, he managed to disentangle himself and proceeded to get dressed and head downstairs before his friends woke up.

James was one of the first students in the Great Hall for breakfast. He took a seat at the Gryffindor table and piled some toast and eggs onto his plate. He had just taken a bite when someone clapped him hard on the back and he spent a minute coughing into his food. Wearily, he looked up into the smiling face of Dorcas Meadowes.

'Alright Potter?' she greeted him cheerfully as she took a seat next to him.

'I'm okay. Had a nice break?' he asked.

Dorcas nodded as she piled food onto her plate. 'It was nice, I drew up a lot of plays for the season,' she said excitedly. James' stomach flipped. He had not flown in weeks and was certain that he would be rusty the next time he hit the pitch with the team.

Dorcas rushed on as if she hadn't noticed anything. 'Anyways, practice is on Wednesday at seven. Dirk and I figured we'd give everyone a couple days before getting back into routine,' she said through a mouthful of eggs. James chuckled. 'So you admit that you're basically the captain of the team?' he joked. Dorcas stopped chewing.

'What are you saying Potter? Dirk's the captain,' she said blankly.

As they spoke, the Great Hall had begun to fill with students ready for breakfast. Sirius, Remus and Peter soon joined James, while Dorcas went to sit with Dirk, who looked like he was sleepwalking. James downed his milk in silence as his friends chatted around him. He couldn't help but feel that it was going to be a long day.

To James' surprise, Transfiguration first period went a bit better than it had the last time, when James had failed to perform the simple task of transfiguring a quill into a birch branch. Today, Professor McGonagall had assigned them the more difficult task of animal transfiguration; they were required to transfigure a mouse into a goblet. Although he was still not quite focused on the lesson, James actually managed to complete the task by his third try. A quick glance around the room told him that he was the only one who had succeeded aside from Frank Longbottom. Remus shot him a look of envy and James couldn't help but feel more relaxed.

This was how classes normally went, with James doing exceptionally well without trying. He hadn't realized how much he missed his daily routine, as he had been rather abysmal in classes and sleep deprived in his first week back from the holidays.

James' eyes wandered over to the front of the room where Lily sat unsuccessfully prodding her mouse with her wand. She looked very frustrated with herself. James leant back in his chair and turned to Sirius.

'Hey mate, I think I've got a good phrase for the ma—onnyaaaAAAARGGHHHH!'

He leapt back out of his chair as suddenly sitting before them, was a grotesque half transfigured mouse-goblet— courtesy of Sirius. James wrinkled his nose in disgust as Sirius grinned cheekily.

'Sorry Professor, I'll change him back,' he said, winking at an irate Professor McGonagall.

After that fiasco, the rest of the morning classes passed by uneventfully and before James knew it, the bell had rung, signaling lunch break. James, Sirius, and Remus had just walked into the Great Hall and taken a seat when someone called James' name. He turned, and saw a small first year with long black pigtails scurrying over to him, a letter in her hand.

'This is for you- it's from Professor Selwyn,' she said quickly. James took the roll of parchment from her hands and read as she sped off. After a moment, he looked up at his friends' expectant faces.

'He says I'm to meet up with him to schedule our first meeting,' he said. Remus looked approving. 'When are you going to go?' he asked. James glanced back at the parchment.

'It says to be at his office as soon as possible.'

James grudgingly left the others in the hall and began heading to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. As he walked, he couldn't help the feeling of foreboding that crept up on him from all sides. Being alone with Selwyn had never been on the top of his bucket list.

James turned a corner and nearly ran into Filch, who was patrolling the corridors with Mrs. Norris faithfully at his side. The caretaker shot him a look of pure loathing. 'What are you doing outside of class?' he grouched suspiciously.

'It's lunchtime Filch,' snapped James. He was not in the mood for this right now.

Filch shuffled away, muttering under his breath about '_little brats' _and James turned and walked into the next hallway where the Defense classroom was situated.

He had barely made his way halfway across the hall when the door to the Charms classroom opened and Lily Evans stepped out, a pile of books tucked under her arm. She looked up in surprise when she saw him, and the books tumbled out of her arms and onto the floor. She scowled at him. 'Look what you made me do Potter!' she exclaimed.

Without responding, James bent down and gathered the books in his arms. 'Come to gloat about Transfiguration, have you?' Lily asked him irritably. James snorted as he got back to his feet and held out the books.

'I'm only lending a helping hand Evans.'

'Right…' Lily took the books, still eyeing him suspiciously. James raised an eyebrow. 'What were you doing?' he asked as Lily stuffed the books into her bag. 'I was just handing in some extra stuff to Professor Flitwick,' she said dismissively.

James chose not to ask her why she was doing 'extra stuff' when she was top of the class already. Lily adjusted her bag over her shoulders and glanced up at him curiously.

'What is it?' he asked.

She blinked. 'Oh, uh… I just thought it was strange, normally you would have made a big deal out of outdoing me in Transfiguration today,' she said with a frown.

James shrugged as he fell in stride with her. 'Don't get used to it now Evans, I'm only taking a break from being the prat that you love,' he joked. His hand that had been ruffling his hair fell to his side.

'And I figured I'd tread lightly after what happened yesterday,' he muttered.

Lily did not speak for a minute, although she seemed to be deep in thought. James tried hard, but in the end he couldn't resist asking— 'You _are_ mad at me, aren't you?'

Lily snorted. 'If someone was beating up your best friend, would you be mad?' She snapped.

James felt a twinge of jealousy at the mention of Snape's title. 'I guess so,' he replied in resignation.

Lily sighed as they headed down the hallway, 'But that doesn't mean I'm not angry with Severus… he said some horrible things to you that I would never have expected him to— I had a long chat with him last night, ' she added.

James frowned. 'You had a chat with him?' he asked. Lily nodded fervently.

'And you think it got through to him?'

'Yes, he seemed very sorry.'

James fought the urge to yell in frustration. 'And you _believed_ him?' he asked incredulously.

Lily glared at him, 'I'd like to think that he saw that he was in the wrong,' she said firmly. 'He seemed incredibly remorseful, and he even told me that he was going to apologize to you sometime.'

James snorted again. 'And since when has Snivellus been a trustworthy person?' he demanded. 'Remember when the Slytherins ambushed us earlier this year and you said you were going to ask Remus if it was true or not? Did Remus' story match with the one Snape fed you— I doubt it!'

Lily flushed angrily but was saved from answering when the door to Selwyn's classroom opened with a bang, revealing their Defense against the Dark Arts teacher. He appraised James coolly. The tension in the air was palpable, as the last time they had met; James had accused Selwyn of being a sympathizer of Voldemort.

'Potter,' he said curtly, as his dark eyes met James' hazel ones. 'I've been expecting you.'

Lily shot them a curious look before rushing off to lunch. James watched her disappear around the corner before Selwyn's cold voice dragged him back to reality. 'Come inside Potter, don't waste my time anymore than necessary.'

James grudgingly stepped into the room as the door closed with a small click.

The classroom was darker than it normally was; Selwyn had dropped all of the drapes on the windows, giving the room a rather eerie atmosphere. James stood silently by the door as Selwyn cleared his desk with a wave of his wand.

'Sit down,' he instructed, pointing at a chair. James remained standing, but walked over to face Selwyn, who had taken a seat.

'I'm sure that you are well aware of the reason Professor Dumbledore has asked me to conduct these lesson for you,' he said slowly. James nodded silently as he continued to observe the various specimens and objects on the walls around him.

'It has come to my attention that Lucien Rankin managed to slip into your mind when he paid your house a visit over the holidays,' Selwyn continued. 'Do you know what mind reading is called?'

'Legilimency,' James replied in an even tone.

He had decided that he was not going to show any hesitation in front of Selwyn. Selwyn smiled, his sharp eyes glinting through the darkness of the room. 'That is correct. Do you wish to know why you have been chosen to learn to defend against this branch of magic and not, say, Longbottom?'

James shook his head in confusion. Now that he mention it, why _hadn't _Dumbledore decided to give Frank help as well? Surely Frank had been through enough traumas to warrant some extra lessons?

Selwyn's smile widened as he stared into James' eyes. 'It appears that you have a particularly _feeble _mind Potter… fortunately the headmaster realized this and placed you under my care. He seems to have known about your pitiful defenses even before you were attacked on Christmas Eve.'

James felt his blood boiling and urged himself not to show his anger. It was becoming more difficult however, as Selwyn continued to smirk at him condescendingly.

'Well, when should I come _sir?' _he asked shortly.

Selwyn appraised him for a moment. 'Every few days at seven in the evening— beginning this Wednesday. My office of course.' James' stomach dropped. That was the day of their first Quidditch practice since the break.

'Can we start on Thursday instead?' he asked hastily.

Selwyn raised an eyebrow. 'Wednesday at seven Potter. _Don't be late.'_

James stormed out of the classroom furiously. Why on earth had Dumbledore chosen Selwyn of all people to teach him? Hell, why was he even expected to take these lessons in the first place? As he ran, Selwyn's words from earlier rang clearly in his head.

'_It appears that you have a rather feeble mind Potter…'_

James clenched his teeth and strode into the Great Hall. The four house tables were filled with students chatting excitedly; no one seemed to notice that one person did not share their sentiment. James swallowed nervously and made his way over to where Dorcas was sitting with Dirk and the Prewett twins.

'Potter!' she waved as soon as she spotted him. 'Care to join us?' she motioned for the seat next to her, which James declined. 'Sorry,' he said quickly when she looked rather offended. 'I just have to tell you something really quick.' Dorcas turned in her seat to face him expectantly and James took a deep breath.

'I can't make it to practice this Wednesday,' he mumbled.

James tried to tune Dorcas out as she blew up in his face, yelling at him about his lack of practice and how he always 'went and got into trouble' before something important. He waved his hands in an attempt to calm her down.

'Wait a second Dorcas! I swear it's not detention this time, Selwyn just wants to meet up with me… for something,' he finished lamely.

Dorcas snorted derisively. 'Oh sure Potter, just go and meet him for a cup of tea while the rest of us practice why don't you!' And James suddenly found himself staring at the back of her head.

He sighed upon seeing that his presence was no longer wanted, and slunk off to join Sirius, Remus and Peter, who had been watching the whole exchange.

'She didn't believe you?' Sirius asked as James fell into his seat moodily. James shook his head.

'Did you tell her that it was Dumbledore's idea?' Remus asked sympathetically. His book was propped up against the juice pitcher in the center of the table.

'Why would she believe it when I don't even understand why I have to take these ruddy lessons!' James snapped.

They proceeded to eat their food in silence, save for Sirius' occasional attempts at a joke.

The thought of his impending lesson with Selwyn remained at the forefront of James' mind for the rest of the day.


	41. Phrases and Accidents

**Phrases and Accidents**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything save for a few minor characters. JK Rowling owns everything recognizable in this story.**

On Wednesday evening after camping out the afternoon in the common room, James found himself dragged into the corridor by Dorcas. Once they were out of earshot, she reached out and placed an arm on his shoulder.

'Look, I don't know what's going on with Selwyn, Potter, but the Quidditch cup is a big deal this year— it being Dirk's last,' she added. James nodded, feeling more and more angry with Selwyn for purposely settling on today for their lesson.

Dorcas scrutinized him. 'Can you honestly tell me as a fellow teammate— and _friend, _that what you and Selwyn have to talk about is really important?' James met her piercing gaze and found his voice.

'Yes, Dumbledore was the one who planned it,' he said earnestly.

Dorcas looked surprised for a moment at the mention of the headmaster, but quickly regained her seriousness. 'Very well Potter, I thought I should let you know that Dirk's rescheduled practice to tomorrow evening for you. We need all of our players to be there,' she said firmly.

James' eyes shot up in disbelief. 'Are you serious? YES!' he pumped his fist excitedly, earning a chorus of giggles from a few passing Hufflepuffs.

'You had better be there this time,' Dorcas said threateningly. 'Or else I'll really be forced to hex you,' she added. James saluted her and they returned to the common room in better spirits. James made his way over to Sirius, Remus and Peter by the fire and found them working on their extracurricular activity— namely the map.

In the time since the holidays, they hadn't given much thought to it, but as Sirius had pointed out earlier, they needed to be constantly improving it so as not to fall behind on the castle's daily changes. The three were currently discussing a good locking phrase for the map when James took his old seat by the fire.

'I've got a good one. _Marauder's honor_,' Sirius said eagerly, but Remus shook his head. 'That's too short and predictable,' he said thoughtfully. 'Oh come on Sirius keep thinking!' he exclaimed as Sirius flung himself over the couch in resignation. 'You don't approve of anything I come up with though!' he cried dramatically. 'Oooh I know, I know!' Peter piped up. '_We are the Marauders, now do as we say and open!' _

James made a face. 'That's even worse than Sirius' suggestion,' he laughed. Peter flushed slightly. 'This is really difficult isn't it?' he groaned.

James smirked at them. 'Fortunately, I've got a good one. Had it in my mind for ages actually.'

They all turned to him expectantly and he cleared his throat. '_I solemnly swear that I am up to no good,' _he said in a hushed tone.

Sirius flung himself upright onto the couch and beamed at James. 'That's brilliant!' he said happily. 'You approve right Remus?'

Remus nodded thoughtfully. 'Yes… it's unique and creative, it could work!'

'Great, now let's charm it to lock on that phrase then!' said Sirius. Peter frowned, 'Wait, why has no one asked me for my opinion?' he grumbled.

Remus reached into his bag and pulled out a thick book labeled, '_Advanced Charms: The Secrets to Becoming Unplottable,' _and spread it open to a bookmarked page. He pulled out his wand, indicating that they do so as well. 'We'll want the map to recognize us by our touch or by our wands,' he said. 'That way, should the map fall into the wrong hands, others won't be able to use it.'

'That's clever Moony, I knew we could count on you,' James said, clapping Remus on the back. 'Now tell us how to charm this thing.'

Remus furrowed his brows as he studied the page intently. He paused several times to rake his hands through his hair. Finally, he closed his eyes and sighed. 'This is really difficult stuff,' he admitted. 'I don't think anyone but Frank could do it in our year,' he added.

'Nonsense,' supplied James. 'Give it here,' he took the textbook from Remus and flipped through several pages. It was, admittedly, very complex magic that incorporated the same principles as Hogwarts did to become unplottable. However, James wasn't willing to give up without trying a few times. He mumbled the incantation to himself as his eyes scanned up and down the page thoroughly.

'You ready?' Remus asked, though he didn't look convinced. James set down the textbook and motioned for the map. 'Who do you think you're talking to Lupin?' he said confidently. He placed the tip of his wand on the map and began muttering the spell.

It wasn't long before he was gasping for breath; the spell was quite extensive. James wiped the sweat off his brow and continued doggedly as the others watched in tense silence. 'Nothing's happening,' Peter whispered.

'Shhhhh he's trying to concentrate!' muttered Sirius.

Remus was eyeing James' work intently. His eyebrows gradually rose higher and higher until they had practically disappeared behind his bangs. 'Merlin…' he breathed in disbelief.

The previously dotted and lined map suddenly flipped open and glowed.

'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good,' Remus said suddenly. 'We've got to say it several times.' They chanted James' phrase until the parchment began to glow brighter.

'Right… I think we're supposed to place our wands on here now,' instructed James. The four boys quickly did so— and as suddenly as it had begun, the glowing stopped, and the map of Hogwarts disappeared— leaving only a blank piece of parchment left.

'Bloody hell— what?! Where's the map?' Sirius stared at the map in shock. James' expression matched his best friend's.

'I think I may have messed up,' he laughed nervously.

'Oh great, now we don't even have the rough draft anymore,' Sirius groaned, throwing himself back onto the sofa. Remus chuckled at James and Sirius' reactions before motioning them over. 'Actually, I'd say that it worked perfectly.'

He pointed his wand at the parchment where their map had been only seconds before. 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good,' he said clearly.

A moment later, black lines suddenly began crawling out from the center of the page, gradually expanding and twisting through the length of the parchment until the map— in all of its former glory— sat in front of their incredulous eyes.

'We did it!' Peter squealed elatedly, and just like that they leapt to their feet and cheered at the completion of their secret weapon, drawing strange looks from around the common room.

'Hey you lot,' said Frank as he headed down the stairs of the dormitory. 'What's that you've got?' James quickly stuffed the map into his robes and flashed a grin.

'Just a piece of parchment,' he said offhandedly. Frank smirked at his dishonesty but didn't press the issue as he took a seat next to James. 'So, I heard about your private lessons with Selwyn,' he remarked. 'You feel up to it?' 'Where'd you hear about those?' James asked curiously. Frank waved a hand dismissively. 'I hear things around the school,' he said casually. 'Let's just say that a certain Slytherin was making a big deal out of the fact that you apparently need extra help in Defense against the Dark Arts.'

James narrowed his eyes. 'It was Snape right?' he asked. Frank dropped the act and nodded. 'He was going on and on about how you must be the only person in the school who needs remedial Defense classes.'

Sirius stood up with his wand. 'Should I go hex him?' he asked. James shook his head and pulled Sirius back down onto the couch. 'We'll get him back later,' he said in his ear. Sirius grunted angrily. 'That little git's definitely going to get it soon,' he snarled. 'Him and Regulus had better watch their backs.'

Remus rolled his eyes and returned to his homework. As the clock continued to tick away and the time until his meeting with Selwyn lessened, James began to feel apprehensive once again. He repeatedly ran a hand through his hair and sighed, before glancing at the clock.

Remus shut his textbook with a loud clap. 'Maybe you should find something better to do than sit and mope,' he suggested irritably. James frowned. 'I don't have anything better to do though,' he said. Remus rubbed his temples. 'How about completing some homework?' he suggested kindly. James and Sirius barked with laughter and proceeded to imitate his voice, causing Remus to go red and bury himself into his books once again.

Meanwhile, James and Sirius were too busy trying to laugh their nerves away to notice the jet of red light flying across the room towards their corner. Luckily, Peter did, and his eyes widened in fear.

'_DUCKKK_!' he cried shrilly and they all dove under the table as the spell hurtled into the wall behind them with such force that the stone cracked, raining them all with dust.

Sirius was the first one to get to his feet. 'WHO THE BLOODY HELL WAS IT?' he roared, his gaze whirling around the shocked room. James dusted himself off and surveyed the room. Most of the other students were on their feet, staring at the wreckage in disbelief.

However, one boy stood apart from the other Gryffindors in the shadows under the boy's dormitory staircase. James immediately recognized him as a third year. 'You sent that spell at us didn't you?' he demanded. The boy had a blank expression on his face, completely contrasting with the looks of shock around him. When Sirius began to advance on him angrily however, his expression suddenly changed into one of fear and confusion.

'I'm so sorry!' he cried, backing up several steps. 'I-it was an accident— that's right, I swear!' He cowered in fear as Sirius growled at him. James and Remus each grabbed one of Sirius' arms and hauled him back.

'Geroffme— I'm going to hex him into oblivion,' Sirius snarled as he fought against James and Remus' combined efforts. 'Sirius calm down, it was an accident,' Remus said with a massive effort. His face was slowly going red from restraining Sirius.

'That wasn't a bloody accident!' Sirius roared and he broke free of their grasps. The third year— although he was considerably smaller than Sirius— covered his face with his hands as Sirius advanced on him like a tiger. James quickly sidestepped him and stood in front of the boy. Sirius looked puzzled. 'Why are you defending him?' he growled.

James shook his head. 'As much as it pissed me off, we don't have any proof that it _was _him,' he turned to the room at large. 'Did anyone see who fired the spell?'

There was a chorus of 'no's' and 'didn't see's.'

James turned to Sirius and shrugged. 'Let's just leave it for now, we'll get him back later,' he whispered. Sirius finally relented and sat down with a huff.

The third year ran upstairs and out of sight. 'That's Benjamin Roth,' said Frank, his eyes lingering on the wreckage of the wall. 'He's not very well known, even amongst his own classmates.' James, who was staring at the floor, suddenly glanced up at the clock and did a double take. It was ten minutes to seven.

He stood up and pushed thoughts of the accident from his mind. It was time to worry about Selwyn's lesson.

Sirius stopped glaring at the fire enough to glance up at him. 'Good luck mate, don't let Selwyn get to you,' he said bracingly.

'Yeah, good luck James,' said Remus. 'Tell us about it when you get back tonight.'

Despite his friends' chorus of encouragement however, as James clambered out of the portrait hole and into the empty corridor, he couldn't suppress the sense of foreboding that crept up within his chest.


	42. Recaps and House Elves

**Recaps and House Elves**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognize. That belongs to JK Rowling alone.**

'Take out your wand.'

James reached into his robes and pulled out his wand, holding it close to his side as Selwyn covered the windows with drapes and closed the door to his office. He flicked his wand and conjured two wooden chairs, which he placed in the center of the room.

'Sit down.'

James sat, gripping his wand tightly. Selwyn took a seat in the chair across from him and appraised him coolly. They sat in silence for a long time. James could distinctly hear the ticking of the clock, and the sounds of footsteps and chatter in the distance. After what felt like ages, he finally forced himself to look into Selwyn's dark pupils.

'Are we going to start now?' he asked.

Selwyn raised an eyebrow. 'Yes, why don't we…' he drawled. 'Remove your glasses.' James placed them within his robes. Selwyn adjusted his thick black robes so he could move closer to James.

I want you to answer my questions truthfully Potter. I will know if you are pretending.' James didn't respond, only stared straight back at Selwyn without flinching. Selwyn smirked at his attitude and began his interrogation.

'What is the one thing that you care about the most?'

'My friends.'

'I mean _one _thing Potter, not something as general as what you just said,' Selwyn scowled. James pretended to be in deep thought for a moment before answering. 'Friendship then,' he said.

Selwyn observed him for several long moments before asking, 'what is your greatest _fear?' _James blinked. What was he playing at, asking him these strange questions? He didn't want to sound like a wimp in front of Selwyn, so he lied. 'I'm afraid of losing a Quidditch match.'

Selwyn moved so fast that James barely had time to react properly. In a split second, he had lunged forward and grabbed a hold of the front of James' robes, pulling him in so close that James could smell his musty breath. 'Don't you _dare _lie to me Potter,' he snarled. 'Were you actually so woefully arrogant enough to believe that you could sneak a lie past me?'

James didn't know how to respond, so he kept quiet, fuming silently. After a moment, Selwyn dropped him and sat back down looking as impassive as ever. 'It's time to begin the hands on portion of this lesson,' he said. As he spoke, a sinister smile crept onto his features. He looked like he was enjoying himself immensely. 'I daresay you will enjoy this part Potter.' He looked pointedly at James' right hand. 'You will need your wand.' James raised it to his chest, uncertain as to what Selwyn wanted him to do with it. Was he supposed to cast a shield charm when Selwyn used Legilimency on him?

As if he was reading his thoughts, Selwyn answered. 'Your wand is an extension of your magic; as long as you have it in hand, you should be able to perform defensive magic without uttering any incantation.'

'Why don't you have your wand out?' James asked rudely. Selwyn raised an eyebrow. 'I don't require a wand to read a mind like yours Potter,' he sneered. James felt the familiar stab of anger that he had come to associate with Selwyn, but he bit his lip and kept quiet as Selwyn continued. 'Once I have deemed you sufficiently prepared, you will have to defend yourself _without_ a wand… but for now at least, you may have the luxury of using training wheels.'

He reached up and brushed his graying hair out of his eyes, which suddenly widened and stared at James, unblinking.

'_Brace yourself_.'

James held up his wand uncertainly, but before he realized what was happening, the room around him had disappeared, and he was suddenly staring at himself sitting on a bed in a dark room.

It was a very familiar looking room.

Taking a quick glance at his surroundings, he realized with a jolt that he was in his own bedroom back in Godric's Hollow. His jaw slackened slightly as he watched himself get up silently and creep downstairs without alerting his parents. The first thing that jumped out at him in the darkness of the ground floor was the door in the kitchen, which was hanging open on its hinges.

James knew what was going to happen before it actually occurred. He could only watch as his past self gulped down a glass of water before checking outside. He watched as Lucien Rankin appeared out of the weeds, and introduced himself, before proceeding to injure James' leg.

'Looks painful,' said a voice from his side and James jumped upon seeing Professor Selwyn standing right next to him, watching the scene with a bored expression on his face. By the time James had torn his eyes from the man on his right and took in the scene again, Mr. and Mrs. Potter had fallen and his past self was rushing Rankin in an attempt to aid a defenseless Mr. Potter.

As much as he wanted to, James was unable to tear his eyes away as Rankin raised his wand and pointed it at his past self, who began convulsing in agony on the ground. It was strange— horrifying, even, to watch yourself being tortured and not be able to do a thing. James was gripping his wand so tightly that his fingers were beginning to hurt. He did not notice however, as he remained transfixed by the scene before him.

The world swam out of focus, and then refocused very suddenly— and as if he was waking up from a bad dream, James found himself back in Selwyn's dimly lit office. He blinked and whirled around, searching for any sign of Rankin- but no one was there except for Selwyn. The Defense professor was eyeing him shrewdly, and James suddenly realized that he had been standing up. His chair lay on its side. He set it upright and sat down quickly, feeling hot and uncomfortable.

'Interesting…' Selwyn said slowly. 'Now here I come again.'

The world dissipated and they were now at Hogwarts. Judging from the darkness of the sky and the lanterns in the distance, it was well past curfew. The whomping willow was thrashing around more violently than usual— and James watched with a sinking feeling in his chest as Remus, McGonagall and Madame Pomfrey appeared on the rocky path leading from the castle and up to the wild tree.

James realized before he even saw his and Sirius' past selves, what memory this was— and he suddenly felt fearful. Selwyn could not know about this. If he knew, that would spell trouble for Remus. A part of James hoped that Selwyn already knew that Remus was a werewolf, or that he wouldn't care if he found out, but both notions were dispelled when he glanced to his side and saw Selwyn's narrowed and suspicious eyes. His feeling of panic was beginning to grow when he suddenly realized that they were inside of _his _mind. _He_ should be the one in control, not Selwyn.

James clenched his teeth and tried to flex Selwyn out of his consciousness. He didn't have the foggiest where to begin, but he knew he had to try— and succeed soon, less Remus' secret be exposed to someone James deemed to be untrustworthy. He racked his brains for a distraction. Perhaps that would affect Selwyn's Legilimency. James took a deep breath and tried to recall the first Quidditch match he had played that year, and the jubilant emotions that came with it. He opened his eyes and found himself face to face with Selwyn. They were still at the base of the willow; however the Defense professor's eyes had lost their intrusiveness and he waved a hand.

With a surge of relief, James let out a breath he hadn't realized that he had been holding as their surroundings morphed back to the office. It had been a close call— _too_ close. If Selwyn had only waited one or two more moments before getting bored, he would have heard what Remus said. James mentally bashed himself for being so helpless against Legilimency. How could he keep Selwyn out of his innermost thoughts? He couldn't help but think that perhaps he really did have a feeble mind, as Selwyn had practically romped through memory after memory without difficulty.

Selwyn stood up and swept towards the door in the back of the room.

'I think that will be enough for today,' he said coldly. 'You are clearly nowhere near where you ought to be, so we will have to make things more intense next time.' He turned and sneered at James. 'Remember Potter… if the headmaster had not requested this of me personally, I would have deemed you a hopeless case after your abysmal performance today.'

James watched him as he disappeared out of his sight, then leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling. After taking several calming breaths, he stood up shakily and left the room as well.

The corridors were empty when James made his way to the staircase near Gryffindor tower. No sign of any prefects or even Filch and Mrs. Norris. He glanced at his watch and did a double take. It was nearly nine, which meant that he had been with Selwyn for nearly two hours. Shaking his head, James made his way up the stairs slowly, instead of hopping the steps two at a time like he normally did. On his way, he passed by an empty portrait, which showed him his reflection. He stared at the pale, clammy looking boy in the frame and swore under his breath before breaking into a run, determined to wash his face of sweat before meeting Sirius and the others back in the common room.

Luck was not on James' side however. As soon as he reached the top of the staircase, he ran into the very people he was trying to avoid at the moment— Sirius, Remus and Peter, who were hanging around in front of the common room. James stopped in his tracks. 'Where you waiting for me?' he asked breathlessly. They looked up in surprise upon hearing his voice and rushed over to meet him.

'Took you long enough!' cried Sirius, throwing an arm around James' neck. 'We thought Selwyn had drugged you and hidden you in a broom closet!' Remus shook his head at Sirius' dramatics. 'No, that was only you Sirius,' he sighed. 'How did it go?' he asked James.

James grimaced. 'Not well…' he sighed. Remus seemed to want to hear more, but Sirius spared him from answering right then and there by declaring that he was feeling rather peckish. 'You can tell us everything in the kitchens,' he suggested to a chorus of agreement.

Fifteen minutes later, the four boys were seated at a small table, surrounded by a crowd of eager house elves fighting to take their orders. As they waited for their food, James began filling them in on everything that had occurred in Selwyn's office. He told them about the two memories that Rankin had seen, and when he got to the part where they had arrived at the whomping willow, Remus' face visibly paled.

'Luckily he got tired of it and left my mind before he found out,' James assured him. Remus didn't look reassured. 'James you've got to get better at protecting your mind,' he said urgently. 'If you don't— and I'm not saying this for my own reasons— Rankin could get into your deepest thoughts whenever he wants to, and you'd be at his mercy!'

A tiny house elf arrived, carrying four steaming plates of meat and potatoes. 'Trimsy hopes that the sirs will enjoy their meal!' she squeaked earnestly. 'Yeah thanks,' said James, feeling suddenly ravenous from having missed dinner. He dug into his steak, and ignored Remus' statement altogether. For several minutes, they ate in silence, each absorbed in their own thoughts. Finally, Sirius broke it by asking them if they'd heard about the incident in Defense against the Dark Arts that day. 'It was double period, and the Hufflepuffs and Slytherins were together,' Sirius informed them. 'Apparently someone— I think it was Mulciber, picked a fight with Edgar Bones. And guess what?' he swallowed his meat and glared at them. 'Selwyn didn't bother to break them up. He just docked fifty points from Hufflepuff and let Mulciber off with a warning.' James gaped at him, astounded that he hadn't heard about this before— and glad for a change in subject.

'That's ridiculous,' he exclaimed angrily. 'Edgar should let someone know— that's clearly favoritism!' Remus wiped his mouth with a napkin and sighed. 'It's really unfair,' he said quietly. 'But if Edgar_ does _choose to tell another teacher, I'm sure Selwyn would just find out by using Legilimency and treat him even more unfairly.'

'Th-that's _mental_—!' Sirius spluttered, overcome with rage. He pushed his half eaten éclair aside and crossed his arms. Peter looked from him to James nervously, and then pushed his own plate away as well. 'Er, Sirius how's your brother doing?' he asked hastily.

James elbowed him in the side, but Sirius had heard. It was clearly the wrong thing to say, as Sirius looked even more mutinous than he did before. 'I bet ickle Reggie's been getting acclimated to the Slytherin spirit,' he growled. 'Did you know that he hexes other first years now? That little git always hides behind Mulciber and Avery when it looks like he's going to get in trouble and— ooooh I need to teach him a lesson soon…' He trailed off, muttering darkly.

James exchanged a pointed glance with Remus before the latter tried to change the subject again. 'I don't know if you heard,' he said slowly. 'But Slughorn apparently accused someone in his class of snogging the Ravenclaw prefect Maria Admunson in a broom cupboard during class.' Sirius perked up. 'Who was it?' he asked sounding interested. He caught James' glance and winked.

'I heard it was Snape,' said Remus, trying to sound neutral. 'He had her lipstick smeared all over his face.'

James and Sirius exchanged incredulous looks before bursting into laughter.

'_Snivellus_?!'

'She's a _fifth year!_'

'No way, who'd want to kiss him?'

'Obviously Maria Admunson did.'

'You're lying Moony.'

'I am.'

Their laughter soon dissipated and they sat in a more comfortable silence than before. Trimsy returned and cleared their plates. She returned a moment later with four bags of pastries to take back to the common room. 'I love you,' Sirius gushed as Trimsy beamed at him. 'Seriously, I wish I could take all of you home with me… I'd just kick Kreacher out of the house.'

James pulled out his invisibility cloak and they ducked under it before heading out into the corridor. As they walked, the brief moment of respite that the kitchens had offered him faded, and James' mind drifted back to the lesson with Selwyn.

'There's so much trouble going on this year,' he muttered.

The others stopped walking and turned to him in surprise. Sirius frowned. 'What do you mean?' he asked.

James flushed slightly. 'Just the stuff with Rankin, having Remus' secret to protect against Selwyn, and the fact that I'm rubbish at Occlumency… it all kind of hit home during the lesson today.' He grimaced. 'Sorry I'm being so selfish,' he said, feeling abashed. 'I just don't want him to find out about you Moony— and you guys too,' he added, looking at Sirius and Peter in turn.

Sirius and Remus exchanged glances before they each placed an arm around his shoulders.

'You're right James, things are complicated this year,' said Remus.

'You're not the only one with problems,' Sirius added.

James chuckled. 'I'm sorry about Regulus mate,' he said in a hushed tone. 'I wish I could help with him.' Sirius waved his hand dismissively. 'That one's nothing compared to having a full grown Death Eater on our backs,' he said.

James stared at him blankly.

'Our backs?' he echoed. 'You don't have a personal grudge against Rankin do you?'

Sirius scoffed. 'Of course I have one you dolt! The moment Rankin attacked you; he's been at the top of my hit list!'

Remus rolled his eyes at Sirius' terminology but smiled all the same. 'Marauders always have each other's backs,' he recited.

James felt a surge of affection for his friends. All of a sudden, the halls did not seem as dark and foreboding as they had been.

He could get through these stupid lessons— he knew he _would_, for the sake of his friends.


	43. Tiffs and Cuts

**Tiffs and Cuts**

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews and support! I was going to post this chapter yesterday but after I wrote it… I forgot! Sorry about that— and now on with the story…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognize. That's all JK Rowling's.**

Late on Thursday afternoon, Gryffindors of all ages were lounging around in the sun-bathed common room. Some were doing homework— or trying to, with all of the noise around them. Others were goofing off with friends or else discussing the most recent pieces of gossip that had spread through the castle's walls. Nobody seemed to notice that four of the loudest second years were absent from this throng of people, or that the dormitory labeled '2A' was locked shut.

Inside of said dormitory, James, Sirius and Peter were sitting on James' bed, crouching over their map of the school. Remus had left earlier that day to undergo his monthly transformation into a werewolf. When asked why he was leaving so early, he simply said that Professor McGonagall wanted to prevent suspicion by switching the timing of his departure up every now and then. Therefore, the other three were currently planning their next major prank without him.

James tugged on his hangings as he studied the map intently. 'I don't think we should target the Great Hall this time,' he said. 'We'd be asking to get caught.' Sirius scribbled something down on his piece of note taking parchment. 'Yeah, McGonagall would know it was us right away,' he agreed. 'How about directly targeting the Slytherin common room this time around?' James frowned. It was a tempting idea, he had to admit, but it also seemed very unlikely that they could get in and out without being seen. 'How would we get in and out?' he asked. As Sirius pondered the solution to his own suggestion, James turned to Peter. 'Pass me one of those chocolate frogs will you?'

Peter tossed him a few pieces of candy from the leftovers of James' Christmas present. As he chewed on the chocolate, James' mind drifted off to Quidditch. His first practice since the holidays was approaching soon, and he could hardly contain his excitement at the prospect of getting out into the air again. He smiled to himself as he glanced out of the window. It was another perfect day for flying— not a cloud in the sky.

'I've got it!' Sirius exclaimed, sitting upright.

James snapped out of his reverie and turned his attention back to more 'important matters.' Sirius cleared his throat and pointed at the box on the map labeled, 'kitchens.'

'We could get the house elves to help us out, I reckon they'd be willing,' he said matter-of-factly. James and Peter nodded attentively as he spoke. 'That could actually work,' Peter said excitedly. 'House elves are supposed to possess extremely powerful magic!' James sniggered as Sirius puffed out his chest smugly. Then his expression fell. 'Only thing is, we don't know if they'd be willing to put this stuff into the food,' he said, motioning to the rather suspicious looking bag lying on James' pillow.

James brushed off his uncertainty. 'Nah it's harmless, we'll let them know it's just for a bit of fun,' he said bracingly. He glanced at his watch. 'I've got to go now, what are you guys going to do until I get back?' he asked. Sirius suddenly looked rather annoyed. 'I've got detention,' he muttered. 'With Slughorn remember? I butchered that Melodus draught or whatever and he told me I'd have to pay for the cauldron.' James laughed. 'Well, you'd best get going then. Peter, do you want to come watch us?' he asked.

Peter nodded eagerly and James began throwing on his Quidditch gear. Once he had finished dressing, he reached into the trunk under his four-poster bed and pulled out his gleaming nimbus. 'We'll catch you at dinner Sirius.'

Dorcas was waiting for him on the pitch, flanked by the Prewett twins. She smirked at him as he made his way down the steps. 'Nice of you to show up Potter,' she said. James chuckled and ruffled his already windswept hair. 'I couldn't think of any more excuses,' he joked.

He glanced around, noticing that the captain was nowhere in sight. 'Where's Dirk?' he asked no one in particular. To his surprise, Dorcas suddenly adopted a very miffed expression and she immediately took off into the air, leaving them coughing in the dust.

'What's with her?' James asked as he wiped the goggles that Frank and Alice had given him for Christmas on his robes. One of the Prewett twins, Fabian, leaned down and whispered in his ear. 'Dorcas is a little bit… _sore _with the captain right now,' he said. 'Why? I thought they get along well?' James asked, puzzled. 'Yeah well… word is Dorcas walked in on Cresswell and Emily Jones in a rather compromising situation yesterday,' Fabian said looking thoroughly amused. 'Oooh I can't wait until he shows up!'

Gideon appeared at his brother's side and winked at James. 'I'm not sure if I would even show up if I were Dirk,' he said conversationally. 'I'd personally prefer not to get my you-know-what hexed off on sight.'

As they were speaking, the other members of the team appeared at the edge of the pitch. Frank and Alice were the first ones over and James jogged over to greet them, as he hadn't seen them properly since the hospital visit over break. Alice beamed and pointed at his goggles. 'Looking good James! I must say, it seems I've got a knack for choosing out the best presents,' she nudged Frank, who pretended to look affronted. 'I'm pretty sure that _I _was the one who chose the present,' he argued. 'You wanted to give him your mum's old watch, if my memory hasn't failed me yet.' They laughed and continued to bicker as the team gathered together in the middle of the pitch. Dorcas seemed to have finished blowing off steam, as she joined them soon after.

'All right you lot! I don't think I need to explain again, but this upcoming match is really important!' she began.

The Prewett twins snickered into their beater's gloves. 'Aren't they all important Dorcas?' She shot the twins a piercing glare that shut them up immediately. 'Ravenclaw is really good this year, they've got a new seeker who's just as fast as Alice!'

'Nobody's faster than Alice,' chimed in Gideon, and the rest of the team whistled and stomped their feet as Alice flushed. Dorcas waved her hand impatiently. 'I'm just telling you not to underestimate them,' she said sternly. 'As you all know, their captain Roger Davies is as good as any chaser at Hogwarts. Potter, Longbottom—' she turned to look at them— 'stick close to him the whole time and don't let him get any uncontested shots.'

James and Frank both nodded.

'We won't have to worry with you as our keeper Dorcas,' supplied Fabian. 'You could take Davies one on one and the chasers can just focus on scoring right?' Dorcas shook her head in exasperation. 'You _see? _The match hasn't even begun and you're already acting bigheaded— yes you _are!'_ she added at Fabian's affronted look. 'If it was one on one, there's no chaser at this school that's more skilled than Davies,' she ranted. 'Potter and Longbottom, you're only second years so you've got plenty of time to catch up to him. But remember that as of now, you can only outplay him by working together.'

'I'm sure we'll be fine,' James said with a grin. 'I know, I know—' he added upon seeing Dorcas' expression. 'I'm not trying to be arrogant, I just think that we're ready to take on any other team at this school the way we are now.' The stomping and whooping started up once again, before Dorcas motioned for them to quiet down.

'All right, one last thing before w—'

'You're going to waste the rest of practice before we even get to play Dorc,' drawled a lazy voice from behind James.

He turned and saw Dirk standing there, looking as bored as ever. James glanced back at Dorcas and saw that her face had turned a shade redder.

'You're _late!_' she snapped.

Dirk opened his mouth like a fish out of water but Dorcas cut him off. 'You know what _forget_ it, let's just get started…' Without another word, she took off into the sky, followed by Frank and Alice. The Prewett twins patted Dirk on the back bracingly.

'Tough luck mate,' said Gideon.

'She'll be back to normal soon,' added Fabian.

Dirk grumbled something in reply before they all took off to join the rest of the team.

They spent the next hour and a half scrimmaging against the reserves. If James had to be honest, the regular squad was playing rather dreadfully. Perhaps it was the rust from not playing over the holidays, or the fact that Dorcas and Dirk refused to even look at each other, but at least four members of the team were distracted throughout. Aside from Dirk and Dorcas, James noticed that Frank also seemed a little out of it, and this in turn was causing Alice to repeatedly glance over at him in concern instead of searching for the snitch.

After she was nearly thrown off her broom by a stray bludger, James decided that enough was enough. He flew over to where she was righting herself and pulled up so that he was floating next to her. 'What's got you distracted?' he asked conversationally. Alice glanced at him sideways and hesitated for a moment, as though she was trying to decide whether to tell him or not. After a few moments, she made her decision.

'It's Frank,' she sighed, looking over at the other end of the pitch where Frank was being yelled at by Dorcas for missing an easy shot. 'He's had… a lot on his mind since the holidays,' she said quietly.

James waited for her to continue, and she did with after tentative glance up at him. 'I-I think he feels guilty about you getting attacked,' she said slowly. James' eyebrows shot up. '_What_? That's stupid!' he exclaimed.

Alice shook her head sadly. 'That's what I thought at first, but you've got to see it from Frank's point of view,' she said. 'Ever since the Death Eaters mu—attacked his family last year, he's whole-heartedly believed that it was his _responsibility _to protect everyone else he cares about— and that includes you James.'

James was speechless. He had never understood the weight of Frank's predicament until that moment. The more he dwelled on it, the more he realized that perhaps the person who put the most pressure on Frank Longbottom to succeed was Frank himself. However, he still couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that Frank apparently felt responsible for his own attack.

'He couldn't have done anything about it!' James protested. 'Even if he had somehow known that Rankin would show up on my doorstep, what could he have done alone?'

Alice simply shook her head again. 'It's all in his head,' she said softly. 'I think the part of him that wants the Death Eaters who killed his family to be brought to justice is shoving the logical part of Frank aside.'

James didn't respond. His guilt in knowing the identity of the Longbottoms' killer had resurfaced painfully, and he was debating whether or not he should simply tell Frank. But how would Frank react once he knew? James suspected that he would immediately go out looking for revenge— and possibly get himself killed in the process.

They floated in morbid silence for a minute before the sound of screaming snapped them back to reality. Dorcas and Dirk were currently engaged in a spirited shouting match right in front of the goals as the other members of the team tried to mitigate the tension.

'That was a really _pathetic _effort Cresswell!' Dorcas shouted. 'Honestly, I've seen first years try harder than you do!'

'Oh so I'm _Cresswell_ now?' Dirk shot back, just as angry. James had never seen him lose his temper before, and his face slowly began to match the color of his hair. 'You don't see me screaming at you like a banshee about all those goals you _let through!_'

'That was because I was too busy _informing _you of your mistakes!' Dorcas retorted.

'And you're calling _me _distracted,' snorted Dirk. 'You're really a hypocrite you know that?'

Dorcas' face reddened. 'Well at least I take this seriously!' she cried shrilly. 'You're supposed to be the captain of this team and yet all you ever do is sleep and lounge around during practice— you don't deserve to lead us!'

Gideon and Fabian each placed a hand on Dorcas' shoulders and steered her towards the ground as she let loose a string of profanity. James was looking at Dirk, who was uncharacteristically flustered.

'Practice is over,' he said shortly. 'Good playing everyone— we'll _smash _Ravenclaw!' He turned tail and flew off into the distance.

'Just leave him,' one of the reserves said as James made to go after him. 'He needs to be alone for a while.'

A few minutes later in the showers, James stepped under the hot water and let out a sigh of relief. Practice certainly hadn't gone well, he thought. Hopefully everyone would get their problems sorted out before the match. As he thought this, James' mind drifted back to his conversation with Alice about Frank.

_To tell or not to tell_?

'To tell or not to—' James smacked himself on the cheek, swore under his breath and closed the faucet with a snap. He got dressed in his school robes and met Peter outside. They made their way back up to the castle, James carrying his broomstick over his shoulder.

The common room had emptied considerably since he had left it earlier that evening. There were a couple of older students hanging out in the corner next to the portrait hole and Marlene McKinnon and Mary MacDonald occupied the window seats. Mary waved at James as he walked by and he waved back. Perhaps she would try out for the Quidditch team as keeper next year, he thought to himself absentmindedly as he and Peter walked up the staircase to the boy's dormitory.

The dormitory was empty, as Sirius had yet to return from detention. The map was tucked under his pillow. James retrieved it, and then threw himself backwards onto his bed with a huge sigh. He closed his eyes, wishing he could fall asleep right then and there without having any nightmares. Peter sat down on the edge of his bed and opened a box of Bertie Bott's Beans. 'Rough practice?' he asked as he picked out a grayish looking bean. James nodded without opening his eyes. 'You can say that again,' he muttered. 'I've never seen the captain and Dorcas fight like that before… and everybody was distracted,' he sighed.

Peter nodded understandingly. 'You guys will be fine for the match,' he assured James. 'I know you will.' James opened one eye.

'Thanks Pete.'

Peter grinned as the door burst open and Sirius stormed in, out of breath and fuming. James sat up straight when he realized that Sirius had a deep cut on his cheek— much like the one James' had received from Snape earlier that year. 'Whoa what's up with you?' he asked as Sirius began pacing back and forth restlessly.

Sirius stopped and looked at James.

'_Snivellus_,' he growled.

James furrowed his eyebrows. 'You're going to have to elaborate mate,' he said calmly, although he was dying to know what had occurred between them. Sirius made a jabbing motion at the cut on his cheeks, which was no longer bleeding but still looked quite fresh. '_This_ happened!'

He sat down on the bed heavily, causing Peter to squeak and jump aside slightly. James raised an eyebrow. 'Tell me the whole story,' he said.

Sirius nodded and took a deep breath.

'I was in Slughorn's office for detention right? He had me cleaning cauldron's like usual. Then at half past eight, Snivellus comes waltzing in saying he's looking for Slughorn. I told him to bugger off and that Slughorn wasn't there. Then the moment I turned my back on him—' he motioned to his cheek again— 'he hit me with this spell.'

James clenched his fists in anger. 'And Slughorn didn't catch him at it?' he demanded furiously. Sirius shook his head. 'He found us a bit later, after I had broken his nose,' he said with a look of satisfaction on his face.

'Nice one,' James said appreciatively.

Sirius shrugged as he took a bean that Peter offered to him. 'Wish I could have gotten him better though,' he said angrily. 'I reckon this is dark magic, so I may have to see Pomfrey later.' He made a face as he chewed and swallowed.

'Plastic,' he grimaced.

James looked at his friend for a moment or two before standing up. 'I'm starving,' he announced.

'Big surprise,' Sirius joked.

'Let's go get some dinner,' James suggested. As Sirius and Peter nodded and stood up to leave, James called them back briefly. 'Just to clarify,' he said in a hushed voice, a grin lighting up his features. 'We're going to get them good this time aren't we?'

The corners of Sirius' mouth twitched up into a devilish smirk. 'Of course, I can't let Snivellus get away with marring my good looks,' he said haughtily.

James nodded firmly. 'We're going to have to revise our plan… it's time to step things up a notch.'


	44. Matches and Visions

**Matches and Visions**

**A/N: In response to Olive, I live in the states. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognize. JK Rowling owns it all.**

The week leading up to the Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw match was extremely hectic. The Ravenclaws were good sports and refused to resort to any dirty pre-game tactics or ambushes like the Slytherins frequently did. However, they were still immensely competitive and often made it clear through their colorful banners and chants that they expected to win.

Unfortunately, the same could not be said for James and his squad. The tensions from the last practice had not been resolved yet. Since then, Dirk had called two more practices. However he and Dorcas continued to snap at each other's throats while Frank remained woefully distracted from everything around him. Then Dorcas had finally had enough and stormed off early, with Dirk leaving soon after, bringing an abrupt end to a rather brutal week for the team.

Aside from Quidditch issues, James was also spending loads of time reviewing and revising the plans for their upcoming prank on the Slytherins— which they decided to put off for another week or two just in case they were caught and got James suspended from the match. The rest of the Gryffindors knew nothing about the inner turmoil of the team, so the atmosphere in the common room was always lively and upbeat in anticipation for the match. This placed a lot of pressure on the members of the team— but proved to be beneficial to the Marauders, as they could sneak away to plan their prank without being noticed. As the match drew nearer and nearer however, James slowly began to realize its importance.

If they lost, then the rift between them would only grow wider. However if they came out victorious, James hoped that Dorcas and Dirk could make up in the aftermath and the team would emerge stronger than ever. 'We've got to win,' he thought to himself as he drifted off to sleep the night before the match.

James was seated in his stall with his broomstick resting on his shoulder and his eyes glued to Dirk as he stood to make his pregame speech. The Prewett twins were standing in a corner being uncharacteristically somber for once. Frank was fumbling with the laces on his boots, and Alice was chewing her fingernails nervously. Dorcas was staring at a spot on the lockers behind Dirk, seemingly determined not to meet his gaze.

'All right you lot,' Dirk began in an uncharacteristically serious voice. 'It's finally here. We haven't practiced much since break and we've had our issues recently—'

Dorcas snorted— 'but just remember that if we play as a team, then we can take the Quidditch cup this year!' His voice began to rise as he spoke passionately. 'We've got the best teamwork in the school with yours truly and the two blazing rookies,' he pointed at James and Frank who flushed at the praise— 'the fastest seeker—' he pointed at Alice. 'And I'm not done yet… we've got the two most vicious beaters Hogwarts has ever seen, _and—' _he turned to look at Dorcas— 'my keeper, who's never let me down.'

Dorcas looked up with an odd expression on her face and Dirk stared right back with fire in his eyes.

'The key to this match will be _you_,' he said firmly.

The distant roar of the crowd could be heard, signaling the entrance of the Ravenclaw squad. Dirk finally broke his gaze and thumped the locker next to him. 'Now let's go and get this win!' They all leapt to their feet, whooping and hollering as they ran out of the locker room and took off into the air.

The red and gold clad Gryffindor section drowned out the rest of the school in a massive roar when they arrived. After taking a quick lap around the pitch, Madame Hooch blew her whistle. 'Captains shake hands!' she instructed. Dirk shook hands with Roger Davies, and then took off into the air.

A minute later, Madame Hooch let out the Quaffles, the Bludgers and finally the snitch— and the match was on.

James immediately caught hold of the Quaffle and took off into the thick of the Ravenclaw defense. He spotted Frank and Dirk trailing him on either side and faked a shot, before handing the ball to Frank. Frank darted in on the keeper and hurled the ball at the center hoop.

It nicked the side and bounced out, resulting in a collective groan from the Gryffindor section. 'So close,' James thought as he zoomed back on defense.

Roger Davies had the Quaffle in his hands now and it quickly became apparent that he was Ravenclaw's x-factor. James and Frank darted in on him from either side, trying to force him into a turnover. Displaying incredible agility, Davies slipped through them and faked a pass, before depositing the ball in the right hoop to roars of approval from the Ravenclaws. 'Our fault Dorcas!' James called over as Dorcas was cursing herself.

Twenty minutes into the match, and the score was already rather high at 110-60, Ravenclaw in the lead. Frank seemed more focused than he had during practice now that all eyes were on him, but he was clearly still shaking off some rust as several of his shot attempts only just missed. Cresswell had taken it upon himself to rack up the points, and he had scored four of Gryffindors six goals, and assisted James for the other two.

The two teams continued to go back and forth for a while before it happened.

Dirk was zooming in on Davies and the other Chaser when a bludger smacked by the Ravenclaw beater caught him in the side of the leg. He was knocked off his broom and fell to the ground to a collective gasp from the crowd. Fortunately, he hadn't been too high up, though as James touched down on the ground next to him, it was clear that he was in a lot of pain.

'_Dirk!_'

Dorcas flew over and was at his side in a moment. 'Where are you hurt?' she asked urgently. Dirk grimaced and pointed to his left leg. 'I think it's broken,' he muttered.

Madame Hooch flew over and knelt next to Dirk. 'I can still play,' Dirk said as he tried to stand, but Hooch pushed him back down. 'I'm afraid I can't let you do that Cresswell… you need treatment right away.'

Dirk opened his mouth to argue but Hooch had conjured a stretcher and handed him over to Madame Pomfrey, who came bustling over looking very stern. Dirk finally resigned to his predicament and leaned back against the stretcher. As he was levitated past James, he grabbed a hold of his robes. 'Potter it's on you now,' he said firmly. 'Score.'

The Gryffindor section's enthusiasm had dampened considerably in light of Dirk's injury. One of the reserve Chasers, Jake Bobbins, was called over from the sidelines to take his place.

Hooch blew her whistle again. 'Alright get back in the air now!' she shouted.

As he flew by Alice, James whispered 'take your time,' in her ear. She looked at him inquiringly and he smirked back. 'I'm going to ramp up the score a bit now, so take your time.'

The match resumed, as did the loud cheers from both sections. It was clear however, that the Gryffindor section wasn't as loud as before. 'I need to do something about that,' James thought as he caught a pass from Bobbins. 'FRANK!' he bellowed and threw the Quaffle at him. He immediately streaked off towards the goals. Frank weaved through two defenders and passed the ball back to James. Roger Davies tried to cut him off by charging at James from the side, but James spun under his broom and deposited the Quaffle through the keeper's outstretched arms into the center hoop to a renewed hoard of stamping and cheering from the Gryffindors.

'Nice pass Longbottom!' he shouted as he high fived Frank. 'Now let's run up the score!'

James continued to play aggressively; he and Davies kept trading goals, both pulling out acrobatic maneuvers in midair to the delight of the crowd. Davies shook free of James' check and threw the ball behind his back towards the left most hoop to 'ooohs' from the Ravenclaw crowd. They were quickly drowned out by the Gryffindors however, as Dorcas swung forward precariously and swatted the ball away.

'POTTER!' she bellowed as she threw the ball at him. 'You've got to score _now_!' A second later, James realized why.

High above the rest of them, Alice and the Ravenclaw seeker had both turned neck in neck into a sharp dive.

'AND THE SEEKERS HAVE SEEN THE SNITCH! BUT THE SCORE IS 310-150 RAVENCLAW! IT LOOKS LIKE EITHER WAY THE EAGLES WILL COME OUT VICTORIOUS SINCE THE MARGIN IS 160 POINTS IN FAVOR OF RAVENCLAW!'

Wasting no time, James tore his eyes away from Alice and took off towards the goals. They were down by 160 points— meaning that they needed one more goal to tie if Alice caught the snitch— and two more to win.

To no one's surprise, Davies rushed forward to contest James with a determined glint in his eyes. James grit his teeth. It was now or never, he thought.

He faked to the left and flew right. Davies was a good defender and didn't bite on it— instead he lunged forward, trying to snatch the Quaffle from James' outstretched hand.

There was collective gasp from the crowd as James leapt clean off of his broomstick— reaching out with one hand to grab it as Davies soared over him, a shocked expression on his face. The Ravenclaw keeper had a similar expression on his face, and was a second late in reacting to James' shot attempt from that position. It rang through the left hoop, causing the Gryffindors to go wild.

'GET IT TO ROGER!' One of the chasers bellowed.

James saw the play unfold a second before it happened. Frank was lurking near the goalpost and when the keeper hurled the ball forwards, he darted forward and stole the ball before it could land in Davies' hands. He threw the ball back into James' hands for the second time in ten seconds.

James whirled back upright onto his broom and saw an opening in the right hoop and flew forwards— Alice and the Ravenclaw seeker were nearing the ground now, their arms outstretched— he raised an arm to chuck the Quaffle.

Determined not to let him score, the keeper rushed forward and body checked James, causing the ball to slip from his hands— the Gryffindor crowd was screaming for a foul— but James spun into a 360 degree spin on his broom and smacked the Quaffle viciously with the tail end of his broomstick— straight into the center hoop.

He knew without seeing that they had won and that Alice had caught the snitch, as the Gryffindor section went wild in the crowd and he was immediately mobbed by his teammates in a group hug in mid air.

'— Bloody _brilliant!'_ The Prewett twins exclaimed, thumping James on the back.

'YOU DID IT ALICE!' Dorcas shrieked as she pulled the smaller girl into a tight hug.

'Unbelievable…' Frank said with an incredulous look on his face as he caught James' eye. 'We actually won!'

James felt elation seep through his body as he cheered with his teammates. The Gryffindors in the crowd swarmed onto the pitch to congratulate them and the stadium was alive with cheering and shouting.

But as James was nearing the ground, his vision suddenly clouded and he squeezed his eyes shut at the sudden pain that was seeping through them. When he glanced up, he realizd that he was no longer at Hogwarts— he was in a rundown alley somewhere. He felt unattached, and when he looked down, he couldn't see his Quidditch robes. Instead, he saw the ends of a long travelling cloak. James looked up in fear and confusion and saw a man standing in front of him— his breath left his throat as he took in the man's face. It was… not a human face. If anything, James thought he resembled a pale, white _snake. _The 'man' was wearing billowing, black robes and his face contorted into an ugly smile when he saw James.

'_I was expecting you my friend,' he said, and the high-pitched coldness of his voice sent shivers down James' spine. _

'_I've come, my lord,' James found himself saying. The snake-like man in front of him appraised James coolly. 'I take it that you have completed your task?' he asked coldly. _

_James nodded. 'The Hansons are dead, as are the Rosenbaums,' he said. The man smiled. 'Good… I knew you would get it done Lucien.' _

_James swept into a low bow. He turned and disapparated on the spot, leaving only a wisp of smoke behind._

He was falling. He could hear the people around him screaming— some were calling his name.

James landed with a heavy thud on the grass and blacked out.


	45. Amends and Visions

**Amends and Visions**

**A/N: yerawizardelsa- Thanks for your review! And yes, I do realize that these lessons are similar to the ones Harry had with Snape and I did that on purpose because I like the idea of James having his own personal enemy, and not just Voldemort. Hopefully this chapter explains part of why James can see these visions, but there is more to it than that, which you will have to read about in later chapters. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter related. That is the property of JK Rowling.**

James could hear the people around him speaking in hushed voices. He thought he could make our Sirius and Remus' voices, and then another, higher voice that sounded familiar as well.

'Is he going to be alright?'

'He took a really bad fall— I wouldn't be surprised if he had a concussion…'

'You two should stop being worry warts, he'll be perfectly fine when he wakes up!'

'Shhh! He just moved!'

James opened his eyes and blinked several times. Someone handed him his newly fixed glasses and he placed them onto his face. When the haziness had cleared up somewhat, he glanced up and saw Sirius sitting beside him with a large grin on his face. 'Nice of you to join us,' he teased. James laughed, though his throat felt rather dry. Remus handed him a glass of water, which he gulped down gratefully. 'How do you feel James?' he asked in concern. James waved a hand.

'Right as rain,' he said.

He had the feeling that now wasn't the time to bring up the sudden vision he had experienced. Now that he was slightly less dazed, James glanced around the bed and noticed that Peter, and— to his surprise— Lily Evans were sitting next to Sirius and Remus beside his bed. Lily had her legs and arms crossed and seemed to be glaring at Sirius out of the corner of her eye.

'Alright Evans?' James asked quickly as his hand jumped to his hair. 'Nice of you to come visit.'

Lily tore her eyes from Sirius and rolled her eyes at him. 'Don't let it get to your head Potter, I'm only here because Alice told me to come.'

'Well why isn't she here by my sickbed?' James asked. Lily was about to answer when the door to the hospital wing burst open and the entire Gryffindor team shuffled in none too quietly.

'_Potter_!' Dorcas was the first to reach James' side.

'How are you feeling? And what the hell happened back there?' she demanded as she inspected his heavily bandaged head. James grinned reassuringly at her. 'I'm fine, just got a bit excited and fell off my broom,' he lied. Dorcas heaved a deep sigh. 'Try being a little more careful next time will you? Honestly…'

James looked up and saw Dirk walk up behind Dorcas and place his hands on her shoulders. 'You gave us a right scare back there Potter,' he said with his usual lazy grin. 'Dorcas here threw a fit after you fell.' Dorcas turned and whacked his arm off her shoulder. 'I did _not _throw a fit! And for the record, it was you who was hollering at the teachers for help,' she crossed her arms smugly as Dirk threw up his hands in defeat. James raised an eyebrow.

'So… you two aren't fighting anymore?' he asked. Fabian winked at him from the foot of James' bed. 'No one can stay mad at my boy for long!' he declared as he walked over and threw an arm around Dirk's shoulders. Dorcas huffed and turned back to James. 'How long will you be stuck in here for?'

'Mr. Potter will be out by dinner time,' Madame Pomfrey answered as she appeared from her office. She stopped in her tracks and upon seeing the sheer amount of people that were crowded around her patient, swelled like a bullfrog.

'_Off to the common room_!' she shrieked. 'I'm afraid he needs oxygen to recover!'

The team groaned and began filing out the door. Alice and Frank waved before exiting, though Fabian and Gideon stayed behind for a moment.

'We'll stay,' Fabian supplied, throwing a roguish wink at the matron.

Gideon nodded in agreement. 'We can provide James with the oxygen he needs.'

He leaned down as though he was going to kiss James, who promptly ducked under his covers as Sirius, Remus and Peter roared with laughter.

If possible, Madame Pomfrey grew even redder. 'GET OUT!'

After the Prewett twins filed out, James convinced Madame Pomfrey to allow Sirius, Remus and Peter to remain for a bit longer. She had reluctantly agreed after making them promise to let James rest for a few hours before dinner. 'And you too Miss Evans, make it quick!' she snapped as she retreated to her office.

James turned to Lily, who had not moved the whole time. 'What did you really come here for?' he asked curiously. He chuckled when Lily raised an eyebrow. 'Come on Evans, I know you're not _that_ worried about me— are you?' he winked at her and she snorted. 'Oh fine,' she said shortly and she turned to face Sirius. 'I've got a bone to pick with Black here.'

James looked inquiringly at Sirius, who looked just as bemused as he did. 'What did I do?' he asked dumbly as Lily stared him down. She uncrossed her arms. 'Don't pretend that you don't know what I'm talking about,' she said curtly. 'I know about the fight that you had with Sev a few days ago.'

'Yeah, well then you probably know that I won that fight,' Sirius said smugly.

Lily stood up, finally losing her long drawn out patience. '_Why_ do you always have to pick fights with him? What's he ever done to you?' she shouted furiously. Remus tried to stop Sirius, but the taller boy had also gotten to his feet. 'Oh is that what _Sev _is telling you now? That I was the one who started the fight— because that's a dirty lie!'

'Sirius—' James began but his friend was too angry to hear him.

He walked closer to Lily and pointed a finger at his cheek, where the scar from Snape's curse was still pink and fresh. 'I think having a bloody _hole _cut into your face is a reasonable excuse for punching someone in the face,' he snapped.

Lily stood motionless, her eyes wide and her face paling. Sirius pursed his lips satisfactorily and sat back down in his chair heavily.

Lily turned to Remus. 'I-is that true?' she asked in a small voice.

Remus glanced at Sirius hesitantly. 'I wasn't there—' he began as Sirius looked at him incredulously— 'but given that I _did _see Severus hit James with the same curse earlier this year, I would assume that Sirius isn't lying this time,' he finished tentatively, looking down at his feet.

For a moment, James thought Lily was going to yell again. Instead, she gave a jerky little nod and stormed out of the Hospital Wing. James sighed. 'That went well,' he observed as Sirius looked at him apologetically. He waved a hand. 'She didn't come to visit _me _anyways, don't worry about it mate,' he said dismissively, but he couldn't deny the small twinge of disappointment in his gut.

Before Sirius could respond, the door to the hospital wing burst open again and Albus Dumbledore strode in, looking as calm as though he were taking an evening stroll. 'Good afternoon James, Sirius, Remus and Peter,' he said as his blue eyes twinkled.

'Good afternoon Professor,' they said in unison.

Dumbledore smiled. 'I am aware of your concern for your friend— truly admirable, I might add— although I am afraid that I must ask you to let me have a private word with James briefly.'

Sirius, Remus and Peter stood as one, told James to meet them in the common room after he was let out later, then they left the Hospital Wing, shooting the pair a curious look as the door shut.

James turned his attention back to the old wizard sitting before him.

'How does your head feel James?' Dumbledore asked kindly. James reached up and patted his bandages. 'All good sir,' he replied. 'I feel like I could leave now.' Dumbledore chuckled. 'Ah, the luxuries of youth,' he said with a twinkle in his eye. He surveyed James carefully all of a sudden. 'However, I must ask you if there is anything, anything at all that you wish to tell me James.'

His ice blue eyes gave James the impression that he was being x-rayed, almost like Dumbledore was using Legilimency on him. However, unlike with Selwyn, James did not feel uncomfortable with Dumbledore around.

'Something… strange happened after the match today sir,' he found himself saying. 'I saw a vision or something, and that made me fall off of my broom.' He proceeded to tell Dumbledore everything he had seen, including the conversation between himself and the snake-like man. A sudden thought struck him as he recalled something the man had said.

'_Good… I knew you would get it done Lucien.' _

James' stared into Dumbledore's eyes in shock. 'I- he was talking about Rankin! _Lucien, _he said… that's Rankin's first name isn't it?'

The aged wizard looked solemn as he appraised James through his spectacles. After a healthy pause, he spoke in a quiet but firm voice. 'James, I believe I know the cause of your vision today, and I'm afraid it is a rather complicated one.' James leaned forward curiously as he spoke. 'You see, from what you have told me about your vision, it seems that you were viewing the scene _from _Lucien Rankin's point of view, is that correct?'

James nodded.

Dumbledore fixed him with an unblinking stare. 'It is my belief James,' he began softly, 'that on the night Rankin attacked you and your parents and used Legilimency on you, he unwittingly left a fragment of his magic _inside_ of you.' James stared at him in shock. Rankin had left a part of his power inside of him? The thought alone made him feel sick.

'This has finally manifested itself into a— connection… between the two of you,' Dumbledore continued. 'I daresay today's vision was the first of many, into Rankin's eyes.'

James furrowed his eyebrows. 'Professor, sorry— but does Rankin know that I can apparently see through his eyes?' he asked. Dumbledore smiled softly. 'That is a good question James. I don't believe he is aware of it and therein—' he leaned forward— 'lies a disadvantage for him, and an advantage for us.'

James sucked in a deep breath and leaned back in his bed. He had a connection with Rankin, the Death Eater who had murdered Frank Longbottom's family in cold blood, and attacked his own family over Christmas holidays. And Dumbledore wanted to use that connection as an advantage for their side. James suddenly felt very young and inexperienced.

'Professor?' he asked uncertainly. Dumbledore looked at James expectantly. 'Do you think that if I keep having these visions, that they'll help us catch Rankin?' he asked.

Dumbledore patted him on the arm and smiled. 'I am certain that it would help us a great deal James, but only if you give your consent,' he said firmly. James sighed and leaned back in his bed for a moment, before another thought struck him. He figured that if anybody knew the answer, then it would be the wizard sitting before him.

'Professor, how did Rankin know where to find us that time?' he asked.

It was quick and fleeting, but James could have sworn that Dumbledore's eyes darkened for a brief moment. 'I have reason to believe…' he said slowly, his eyes on James. 'That members of Voldemort's inner circle who have infiltrated the ministry and have access to that information may have fed it to Rankin.' James nodded stupidly. 'Uh, may I ask who it was, professor?'

Dumbledore paused for a moment, before conceding. 'Rodolphus Lestrange, Alexander Rookwood and Bellatrix Black are the most likely suspects,' he said grimly.

James perked up at the names. He had definitely heard the last one somewhere before… but at that moment Dumbledore stood up. 'It was a pleasure to talk to you James,' he said cheerfully. 'You ought to get some rest before dinner— I've heard that the house elves are preparing a sumptuous feast in honor of Gryffindor's victory today,' he winked at James before strolling through the door, disappearing as suddenly as he had arrived.

James had been staring at the spot where Dumbledore had left for all of five minutes when the doors opened once more. He glanced up and saw Remus and Peter standing there looking at him bashfully. 'What are you two doing back here?' he asked in surprise as they sat down by his bedside again.

Remus and Peter exchanged a glance, and then Peter held up a long tube with a purple ear attached to the end of its neck. 'Ear trumpet,' he said guiltily. 'Fabian and Gideon gave it to us before, it lets you overhear conversations.' James stared at them incredulously.

'Wait… so you overheard everything I said to Dumbledore?' he asked.

Remus nodded, looking ashamed. 'It was more Sirius' idea,' he mumbled.

James glanced around. Come to think of it, Sirius was nowhere to be seen. 'He wasn't with you?' he asked. Remus and Peter shared another look. James was beginning to grow tired of those. 'Well?' he asked impatiently. 'How do you feel about these visions I'm supposedly going to start having?'

Remus looked at him with a worried expression on his face. 'Well, I don't like the idea of Dumbledore using you as an advantage against dark wizards,' he said sharply. 'It could be dangerous.'

James shook his head in reply. 'I want to help out in anyway that I can,' he said firmly. 'If I can help get back at Rankin for all the things he's done, then I'll do it.'

He frowned. 'So why did Sirius leave?' he asked again.

Remus sighed, looking more tired than usual. 'He was here when Dumbledore told you the list of suspects related to the attack on your home,' he said wearily. James nodded, not understanding why that mattered.

'James, Bellatrix Black is Sirius' cousin,' Remus said quietly.

James looked at him in shock.

'She is?!' he exclaimed, then smacked himself on the head. The last name should have provided him with enough hints for that.

'Okay,' he said, rubbing his temples. 'So, why isn't he in here yelling about her then?'

Remus looked him in they eye. 'Well, knowing Sirius,' he said slowly. 'I'd say he probably feels guilty about it.'


	46. Explosions and Vows

**Explosions and Vows**

**A/N: This chapter is a bit short, but the next few will be longer I promise.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognize. That belongs to JK Rowling.**

Sirius remained rather subdued around them for the next few weeks, only speaking when he was asked a question; and even then, his responses only consisted of one or two words. Several times, James, Remus and Peter had tried to corner their friend and talk to him about what they had overheard Dumbledore saying in the hospital wing, but the dark-haired boy was quite slippery and managed to escape whenever he spotted them marching towards him.

Sirius' attitude was a constant source of irritation for James; as he could not for the life of him understand why his friend felt responsible for Rankin's attack on Godric's Hollow. He assumed that the fact that Sirius was related to Bellatrix Black, who was one of the suspects, had something to do with it, but that still seemed quite stupid in James' opinion. In any case, he woke up on Friday morning determined to clear things up between them.

However, it seemed like the professors were determined not to let that happen.

In the first three lessons of the day, Flitwick, Selwyn and McGonagall all made them take a practice exam in complete silence for the duration of the period. James, who had breezed through all three exams with relative ease, kept trying to catch Sirius' eye, but the other boy stared resolutely down at his parchment without glancing up.

Sighing in frustration as McGonagall walked by, James gave up on getting Sirius' attention for the moment and leaned back in his chair, reflecting on the past couple of weeks.

Despite the down side of Sirius being a stupid arse, the post match euphoria had caught up to James and given his reputation in Hogwarts quite a boost. Immediately after his release from the hospital wing, the Gryffindors had mobbed him in the hallway and dragged him back to the common room to celebrate their stunning victory over Ravenclaw. James had spent the majority of the night reenacting his last minute heroics alongside Alice Dearborn and Frank Longbottom, who each had their share of admirers as well. To James' amusement, one particularly pretty fourth year had struck up a long conversation with Frank, and caused Alice no small discomfort from where she glared at them in the corner.

The Prewett twins as usual, had offered to provide drinks (and some whiskey) to the party. One of the best things about their victory however, was that the team was united again. Dorcas and Dirk could be seen happily chatting by the fire and Frank kept telling James how he couldn't wait to play against Slytherin. All in all, it was everything James could have hoped for out of the match.

Now, he just had to deal with Sirius.

The bell rang and James filed up to the front of the room along with the rest of the class to hand in his practice exam. He caught up to Remus and Peter who were waiting by the door and they headed to Potions. As they descended the cool staircase down to the dungeons, James silently hoped that they wouldn't be taking another silent exam. Fortunately, Slughorn had no such plans.

'Partner up! Partner up!' he bellowed jovially from the front of the room. 'I want an extra tasty Blemish Blitzer solution by the end of class— those who have acne are free to test theirs out at the end!'

James immediately lunged forward and occupied the seat next to Sirius before a pretty looking Hufflepuff could take it. She glared at him and huffed before storming off to find another partner. James winked at Sirius, who couldn't suppress a snicker. As they worked however, Sirius withdrew back to his recent brooding self and changed the subject whenever James brought up Bellatrix. He saw Remus shooting them furtive glances from the other side of the room and waved his hand dismissively. He was going to make Sirius listen whether he liked it or not.

'Sirius how long are you going to avoid us for?' he demanded as he diced his roots on the table.

'I'm not avoiding you,' Sirius said coolly. 'What makes you think that I am?' He poured some liquefied herbs into their now bubbling cauldron. James rolled his eyes at his friend's avoidance tactics, but he had to admit that Sirius had a fantastic poker face.

'You know what I'm talking about,' he pressed on as he dropped his knife and looked straight at him. 'You've been avoiding us because you feel like it's your fault that Rankin attacked my family.'

Sirius didn't respond— he was staring at the potion with his eyebrows furrowed. 'Oi never mind that for now James— I think something's wrong with our potion.'

James turned to look as well and realized that Sirius was right. Their potion should have been a clear, transparent texture by now according to the textbook… not a viscous brown one. James frowned and examined the insides of the cauldron, temporarily forgetting about his argument with Sirius. 'Did you put too many leaves in?' he asked.

Sirius shook his head. 'I'm certain that we've done everything right up to this point.'

'Well we've clearly made some kind of—'

With a tremendous boom, their cauldron shattered, showering them with their solution and forcing everyone in the vicinity to duck for cover as jagged pieces of the cauldron shot around the room dangerously. Slughorn's walrus-like head appeared from under his desk looking at them indignantly.

'Mr. Potter and Mr. Black, what in the name of Merlin was that?' he asked in a high-pitched voice.

James would have laughed at him if he weren't so confused himself.

'I really don't know sir,' he said honestly. 'We were following the instructions and then it just blew up,' he mimed 'blew up' with his hands and several people tittered. Others, such as Lily, simply rolled their eyes and returned to their potions.

James and Sirius spent the remaining class time cleaning in silence— and wincing in pain as their failed solution caused many painful rashes to form on their skin.

When the bell rang, Sirius promptly disappeared into the crowd of students heading to the courtyard for their afternoon break. James made to go after him but someone held him back. He turned around to see Remus shaking his head.

'I'm sure he'll be ready to talk to us by tonight,' he said firmly. 'Let's just let him gather his thoughts for a bit.'

James grudgingly agreed and they trudged back to the common room.

It was half past eight, and they had spent the remainder of the day in the common room absentmindedly playing Wizard's Chess and eating numerous sweets. At one point when the awkwardness in the room became too great, they began playing a noisy game of exploding snap to relieve themselves of the tension, much to the annoyance of Lily Evans, who was seated at a nearby table and attempting to complete some homework.

'Would you stop that?' she snapped, looking up from her essay. James noted that her mean glare was directed at him alone.

He ruffled his hair casually. 'Why don't you join us Evans?' he suggested. 'You look like you could use some fun right now.'

Lily grit her teeth in anger. 'I was perfectly satisfied with my afternoon before you had to cause a ruckus by playing a stupid card game!' she retorted.

'You have a peculiar definition of enjoyment,' James sniggered.

Remus shot her an apologetic look. 'Sorry Lily, we'll put the cards away.' Lily smiled at him, and James felt something churn inside his stomach. 'Thank you Remus, it's good to know that someone's keeping this buffoon in check,' she said sweetly.

Remus chuckled as James clapped a hand to his heart in mock offense. His comeback died on his lips however, when the portrait hole opened and Sirius trudged in at last. He glanced around the room nervously, and then made a beeline for the boy's staircase. James stood up and marched up to him, blocking his way.

'We need to talk mate,' he said firmly.

Sirius grimaced for a few moments, and then gave in.

'I'm sorry,' he muttered as he threw himself onto the couch and put his head in his hands. James sat down across from him as Lily tiptoed away.

'What are you sorry for?' he asked.

Sirius raised his head from his hands and laughed humorlessly. 'I'm sorry that my dear cousin helped Rankin find and put the Cruciatus curse on you,' he said as he stared into the flames.

James was silent for a minute. Then he reached out and smacked Sirius hard on the head.

'_Ouch_! What the bloody hell was that for?' Sirius demanded as he rubbed his head in pain.

'That's for being a prat,' James replied. 'You know as well as I do that what your cousin does isn't your fault.'

Sirius stared back at him; his grey eyes alight with emotion.

'I should have known earlier though,' he whispered. He leapt to his feet suddenly, causing Peter to jump in alarm. 'I _live_ with her for Merlin's sake James! Now that I think back on it, she had been dropping hints all summer! Talking about some plans to attack a famous Auror and whatnot, and the whole time I never took her seriously! I was so stupid…!'

Sirius paced back and forth restlessly, before eventually coming to a stop in front of the fireplace.

'I could have prevented it from happening,' he said quietly.

James stood up and reached out to his best friend. Sirius backed away at first, but James pulled him into a brotherly embrace. 'You're the thickest person I know, you know that?' he said. Sirius ignored him.

'I'm sorry mate,' he repeated. James pulled away and shot him a warning look.

'Sirius, if the next words that come out of your mouth are 'I'm sorry,' then I will see to it that you can never have kids,' he joked. Sirius finally laughed a bit and James took the opportunity to charge forward.

'Your cousin is— well— a mental, psychotic and ridiculously ugly maniac,' he said bluntly, causing Sirius to burst out laughing.

He grinned and soldiered on. 'You can't control people like that or make them see sense… the most _you_ can do is make sure that you never turn on _me_ like that, and I know you won't.' 

Sirius stared back at him with a determined look in his eyes. 'I would never dream of it,' he declared.

James clapped him on the back and a cheer erupted from around the common room. They turned around in surprise and saw that their little conversation had not been so private after all. Frank and Alice were clapping with delighted grins on their faces and Lily was looking at them with raised eyebrows. The Prewett twins pretended to faint in the middle of the room.

'Alas I can live no longer Fabian!' Gideon cried dramatically. 'The fair James has his heart set on another man!'

Ignoring the antics of those around them, James turned back to Sirius and shrugged. 'What do you say we get back upstairs?' he winked mischievously. 'We've still got some Marauder's business to attend to.'

Sirius' eyes widened and his trademark smirk returned to his features. 'It's been a while since I've thought about that,' he said with a familiar gleam in his eye. 'I say it's high time we give the Slytherins a little payback.'

His expression softened briefly. 'Thanks mate,' he said. 'I swear upon my membership as a Marauder that I will never turn my back on you.'

James wrapped an arm around his shoulder as they walked up the staircase, followed by a happily grinning Remus and Peter.

'Come on,' he said cheerfully. 'We've got loads of planning to do and very limited time.'


	47. Falls and Invitations

**Falls and Invitations**

**A/N: Stupid exams… Anyways! Some of you want to see more James and Lily. I agree and was always planning on adding more interactions between them, because Lily is obviously a major character. However, I must also stress that they are only twelve, so no romance yet (aside from James, although he doesn't 'love' her yet). **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything related. That's JK Rowling's. **

_The sound of laughter filled the air as James' seven-year-old self rocketed around the Potter household on his mini-broomstick. Mrs. Potter was shrieking about the dust that was billowing in James' wake and glaring at Mr. Potter, who only watched in amusement as their young son continued to cause mayhem everywhere he flew. _

_The scene changed once more. _

_The warm atmosphere of Godric's Hollow dissipated and was replaced by a cold gloom. The homeliness of the Potter's house was gone, and James now found himself standing in an austere courtyard at his late paternal-grandfather's funeral. Sitting across from the younger James was Mr. Potter. He was sitting rather stiffly and even James could see that his tough exterior was cracking from the loss of his own father to an unexpected illness. Mrs. Potter was sobbing quietly from James' other side as other people dressed in black paid their respects to Harold Potter. _

James suddenly found himself back in the present, sitting in a chair in Selwyn's dim office, and he had to blink several times to readjust to the lack of sunlight. 'You still haven't made much progress,' Selwyn remarked as he reached under his desk and pulled out some parchment. 'I would have thought that knowing you have a connection with Lucien Rankin would have spurred a sense of urgency in you— but alas, even the best of us are mistaken sometimes, wouldn't you agree Potter?'

James didn't answer.

Selwyn was scribbling intently on his sheet of paper.

James fidgeted in his chair restlessly, desperate for the end of this dreadful lesson. He knew that Selwyn was right, and that in the past month, he had not gained any new insight into how he should protect his mind from Legilimency. James sometimes felt that Selwyn was mocking him on purpose, and that he actually had no intention of helping him out like Dumbledore had asked him to do. As James sat stiffly in his chair, he briefly considered the possibility that Selwyn was in fact, a Death Eater, and that he was working alongside Rankin to pulverize James' mental health.

Without looking up, Selwyn said in a bored tone, 'you may leave.'

James stood up, gathered his things and left the room in a hurry; furious that Selwyn had let him sit there awkwardly for nearly fifteen minutes after they had finished without saying so. As he jogged down the bustling corridor however, James' spirits lifted slightly. It was only ten in the morning, and he had the rest of Saturday to plan the prank and play Quidditch with his teammates. Although Selwyn's impromptu lesson that morning was a horrible way to start out the day, he tried to forget about it as he made his way down to a late breakfast.

The Great Hall was packed as usual around this time on weekends. James made his way through the traffic and dropped down into the seat that Sirius had saved him at the end of the Gryffindor table.

'How did it go?' Remus asked from across the table. James noted with amusement that he had propped his Charms textbook up against the pitcher of pumpkin juice, and was reading it as he ate. 'Dreadful,' he conceded as he piled sausages and eggs onto his plate. 'I reckon he's just toying with me, and he doesn't plan on actually helping me protect my mind.' Remus looked up with a frown on his face. James immediately spotted the signs of an impending full moon, as there were dark bags under his eyes and his hair fell limply onto his forehead.

'Who gives a rat's arse about Selwyn anyways, it's Saturday!' Sirius exclaimed through a mouthful of toast.

Remus turned his attention to him instead and frowned disapprovingly. 'James' success in these lessons is important Sirius! If he isn't doing well, then that's a problem,' he said in exasperation.

James sighed as he set down his fork. 'Let's talk about something else for now… like Sirius said, it's Saturday.' Remus looked like he wanted to press the issue, but finally let it go with a sigh. 'What've you got in mind?' he grumbled.

James exchanged looks with Sirius and Peter before grinning. 'The prank of course!' he said in a hushed tone. 'Peter, have you done your part?' Peter nodded fervently, looking extremely proud of himself.

'I did! I spoke to the house-elves last night— asked if they'd want to help and put the weightless—'

'Peter _shhhh_!' hissed Sirius.

He glanced around wearily then turned back to the smaller boy with a grimace. 'Do you want everyone to hear what we're planning?' Peter flushed. 'Sorry,' he whispered. 'But the house-elves said that as long as we're not physically harming the Slytherins in any way, then they'd be glad to help out.'

James reached out and high-fived Sirius. 'Part one of the plan— completed,' he said with a grin. 'I say we carry it out in a few days when they have Quidditch practice after breakfast.'

Remus looked up in surprise. 'How do you know that?' he asked suspiciously. James merely rolled his eyes. 'Please Moony, I make it my business to know everything about our targets.'

After filling their stomachs with food, Sirius and Peter headed off to work on the potion that they had secretly been brewing in the empty classroom on the fourth floor. Ever since the Slytherins had ambushed them in there, no one had really occupied the room so they figured it would be safe to use without being caught.

Remus, on the other hand, immediately left for the hospital wing so he could sneak out with Madame Pomfrey for his transformation once every one was out and about enjoying their free time. He promised to check on the potion once he returned to make sure everything was going smoothly.

James ran back up to the dormitory where he grabbed his Nimbus and his Quidditch gear, before heading out to the pitch for practice. It was their first practice since the match and everyone on the team was excited that things were back to normal between them. By the time he arrived, Dorcas was already flying laps around the arena. She slowed to a halt upon seeing James arriving.

'Morning Potter, nice day for flying,' she said cheerfully as she touched down beside him. 'Where's everyone else?' asked James. Dorcas pointed to a spot in the shade next to the bleachers. Peeking out from beneath a set of red robes was a crop of unruly red hair. 'You know him, he'll wake up soon enough,' she said irritably, although she didn't sound convinced. 'He usually loves attention, I'm surprised he hasn't woken up yet given the turnout.' She gestured to the rows in the stadium and James realized that several Gryffindors had come to watch them practice since it was a beautiful day outside.

His eyes scanned the front row until— with a leaping sensation in his chest— they landed on Lily Evans. He had no trouble spotting her mane of fiery red hair from amongst the others. She was sitting between Marlene McKinnon and Mary MacDonald, and James noted with amusement that she was clutching several books in her arms.

'Ah look, here come the others.'

As she spoke, several figures could be seen zooming towards them from the castle. It seemed that the rest of the team had decided to fly their way down to the pitch this time. James forced himself to look away from Lily as she waved happily at Alice Dearborn.

Once everyone was assembled and the chatting had subsided, Dorcas— ignoring the sleeping Dirk— gathered the rest of them around her in a circle.

'All right everyone, great game last time! Professor McGongall spoke with me this morning and guess what? We're tied with Slytherin for first place now!' The team cheered and hooted at this news. Slytherin had dismantled Hufflepuff in the weeks since Gryffindor had defeated Ravenclaw, and both teams knew that they would eventually have to beat each other in order to win the house cup.

'Slytherin's got nothing on us!' hollered Fabian. 'They only won against Hufflepuff because they injured four of their players.' James faintly recalled seeing Edgar Bones sitting gloomily in Transfiguration last week with his arm in a sling, and his desire to pummel Slytherin grew even stronger.

'Hufflepuff also has a rubbish defense though,' Alice pointed out. 'They would have lost either way.'

Dorcas blew her whistle ('isn't that Dirk's?' Gideon commented).

'Enough about the other teams, I want to focus on us! Get into lines, we're working on our formations!' she yelled.

James joined the other Chasers in the air and for the next twenty minutes or so; they worked on their spacing and ball movement. Against an offensive minded team like Ravenclaw, they hadn't had too much trouble beating the defense and relying on the individual talents of the Chasers. However, playing Slytherin was a different story, and their players were known to resort to dirty tactics just to prevent a goal. It made sense, therefore, that Dorcas wanted them to share the Quaffle quicker and make their passes more crisp.

'If we can move the Quaffle fast enough, they won't even be able to grab onto your brooms!' she instructed. 'Keep it up!'

They had just finished the drills and begun scrimmaging when something very strange happened.

With James' broomstick.

It began on the very first play of the match. James, Frank and Bobbins were passing the Quaffle back and forth like Dorcas had instructed them to. As they zoomed in on her at the goalposts, Frank zipped a pass over to James, who raised his hands to catch it.

At that moment, his Nimbus 1000 suddenly jerked to the side and caused the Quaffle to slip through James' fingers.

'_Come on_ Potter, don't be careless!' Dorcas bellowed. 'You could have scored easily there!'

James gathered himself and flew back on defense. 'That was weird,' he thought, but he assumed that he had simply tilted a little too hard on his broom and chose not to dwell on it. However, as flew back and tried to deter a half-asleep Cresswell from scoring, he suddenly found himself flung backwards, as his broom gave another random jerk. He steadied himself again, frowning in bewilderment as Dirk deposited the Quaffle into the center hoop.

'Alright James?' Frank hollered from underneath him.

He waved a hand to indicate that he was fine, then shook his head and grabbed the Quaffle. He had messed up twice now and Dorcas was going to chew him out if he didn't score now. 'Frank let's run the offense!' he shouted. Frank nodded and James threw the Quaffle to him. He flew diagonally beneath Frank as they shot towards Dorcas' hoops again. Cresswell appeared in front of Frank and reached for the Quaffle. Frank deftly passed it to James, who found himself one on one against Dorcas.

Determined to score, he bent lower on his broomstick and juked from side to side. Dorcas' eyes followed him like a hawk, and as he faked to the right, she flung herself over to intercept his shot and he found himself with a wide-open look at the rightmost hoop.

James reached back and was prepared to throw the Quaffle at the goal with all his might when his broomstick gave a massive jerk— the most violent one yet— and he found himself falling to the ground as the Quaffle flew out of his hands.

Some people screamed as he plummeted to the earth. James heard someone yell something— a spell perhaps— and he felt himself slow down slightly as he crashed into the earth painfully. After he had gathered his breath, the rest of the team crowded around him and assessed the damage.

It turned out that Dirk had been the one to cushion James' fall, although he still felt like his left arm and shoulder were on fire. Frank and Alice were the first ones at his side.

'James, are you alright?' Alice asked in concern as she knelt down next to him. 'That was so scary when you just fell off your broom!'

Dorcas on the other hand, showed much less sympathy.

'Potter what _was_ that?' she demanded as soon as he had gathered himself into a sitting position. 'You forget how to fly or something?'

James didn't respond. He was extremely confused as to why his broom was behaving the way it was. It was almost as if it had been possessed— and wanted desperately to throw James off of its back. Frank bent down and helped him up by placing an arm under his shoulder. James grimaced slightly as a wave of pain shot through his arm, but he waved off any concern that the others showed.

'Bad day— sorry Dorcas, I promise it won't happen next time,' he grinned.

Dorcas huffed and pushed Dirk forward. 'You should take him to the hospital wing, it looks broken,' she said shortly. 'Unfortunately we can't practice the formation without Potter so practice is over. Get dressed everyone!' The team dispersed, and with the help of Frank and Dirk, James went up to the castle get his shoulder checked.

The three of them trudged through the crowd of students hanging around at the lake and headed into the castle and up the marble staircase. They had just turned the corner onto the fourth floor corridor when the door to the empty classroom burst open and Peter poked his head out looking frightened.

'Oh it's just James,' he breathed, looking relieved. 'We thought a teacher had come up here or something. Sirius! Come out it's…'

He trailed off as he realized that James was hurt. A moment later, Sirius shaggy black head appeared at the doorway and after seeing James, he leapt out into the corridor.

'Bloody hell what happened to you?' he exclaimed in surprise.

James grimaced in embarrassment as he lied. 'I fell of my broom.' To his annoyance, Sirius burst into laughter at the statement. 'You're telling me that James Potter, self-proclaimed Quidditch hero, fell off his broom?' James ignored him and continued towards the Hospital Wing. Sirius and Peter fell into step behind them.

Immediately upon arriving, Madame Pomfrey bustled over and demanded an explanation for James' injury. After he told her the same thing he had told Sirius, she began rubbing a smelly ointment onto his arm, grumbling about the stupidity of 'that dangerous sport' and 'reckless children.'

Once she was finished bandaging his arm, she instructed James to lie down for an hour before he was free to go. As soon as she had retreated to her office and Frank and Dirk had returned to the pitch to practice some more however, James sat up on his bed and regaled Sirius and Peter with the story about the strange behavior of his broomstick.

'And then it literally tried to shake me off when I had the Quaffle,' he finished, holding up his bandaged arm for emphasis.

Sirius let out a low whistle. 'Just wait 'till Moony hears about this,' he said. 'He'll be beside himself with worry.' James shrugged and propped his legs back onto his bed. 'I don't know why I have to stay here for an hour though, I mean, fat lot of good that's going to do,' he muttered.

His eyes landed on his Nimbus, which was lying at the foot of his bed. Ever since he had gotten it, he had never once doubted the broom's incredible maneuverability and quick reactiveness. It made no sense that it would simply fail him all of a sudden.

An unpleasant thought crossed James' mind. Had someone tampered with his broomstick? He racked his brains but the only people he could think of that would possibly do such a thing were the Slytherins, and they would have had to break into the Gryffindor common room to do that. He voiced his concerns to Sirius, who nodded grimly as he spoke.

'I bet they did it while you were practicing,' he said darkly. 'My guess is that they had someone hide in the shadows of the bleachers and try to hurt you so you would be scared before the match against Slytherin.'

James snorted as he examined his broomstick. 'They're going to have to do a lot more than that to scare me,' he said angrily. Once he was satisfied that there were no splinters or split-ends on his broomstick, he set it down by his side. Madame Pomfrey chose that moment to reappear from her office. She stalked over and handed them both bright green envelopes with a purple seal attached to the front.

'From Professor Slughorn,' she said shortly. 'Honestly, why can't that man hand these out himself?' She walked away again, muttering under her breath. James exchanged a puzzled glance with Sirius before they tore open the envelopes. James unfolded the piece of parchment inside and read.

_To Mr. James Potter_

_ It is my pleasure to announce that you have been cordially invited to attend the first Slug Club meeting of the year a few days from now on at seven o'clock on Wednesday evening in my office. Feel free to bring up to one guest with you. I look forward to seeing you there!_

_Sincerely, _

_Professor H.E. Slughorn_

James glanced up and saw Sirius trying not to laugh. '_Slug club?' _he snickered. 'How can he expect anyone to take a name like that seriously?'

James chuckled as he suddenly recalled the stories that Mrs. Potter had told him about Slughorn during her own school days. 'My mum told me that Slughorn likes to gather all of his 'talented' students and party with them several times a year,' he informed Sirius. 'You know he has students that he favors more than others… apparently this club of his is like a little collection for connections in the future.'

Sirius shook his head in disgust.

'Sounds like a drag to me,' he said rudely. 'I bet it'll be full of stuffy old wizards who work in the ministry.' He frowned at James. 'What, are you actually considering going?' he demanded.

James was deep in thought and didn't reply right away. He knew that Lily was one of Slughorn's favorite students, and that meant that she would most likely have been invited as well. His lips twitched upwards into a goofy smile as he fantasized about her wearing a dress and dancing with him to the music. Perhaps this party wasn't too bad of an idea after all.

His smile vanished as soon as he realized that if Lily had been invited, she would likely invite Snape as her guest, unless Slughorn himself had invited him already. James didn't know if he could stand being in the same room as that greasy haired git for more than an hour without giving in to the urge to hex him. Was it worth going for that?

Peter, who was glancing between James and Sirius nervously, interrupted his train of thought. 'Um, I know it sounds boring and all, but couldn't we… well, I mean—'

'Spit it out, Peter,' snapped Sirius.

Peter cleared his throat. 'Right,' he muttered. 'I think going to the party would be a good chance to observe the Slytherins that attend— maybe even spike a drink or two to see how well our potion works.' He immediately looked down at his feet uncomfortably.

'Sorry, it was a stupid idea,' he mumbled.

Sirius looked like he had just been hit over the head with a brick.

'Peter Pettigrew—' he said in shock. 'That's a _brilliant_ idea!' He turned to face James as Peter swelled with pride. 'What better reason to go than to sample our potion before the prank?' he said eagerly.

James, who was still imagining himself dancing with Lily, nodded absentmindedly as he stared into space.

'Right,' Sirius said enthusiastically. 'That's settled then. We'll tell Remus when he gets back.'


	48. Tactics and Dress Robes

**Tactics and Dress Robes**

**A/N: In response to a reviewer: Thank you for your review and I'm glad you enjoy this series. I also enjoyed that bit of information about the Nimbus 1000 not being new at this point in James' life. However, I never really bothered to check on the release date and to be honest, it doesn't seem that important to me. On the other hand, I do plan on writing the OWL scene.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize. That belongs to JK Rowling.**

Remus returned to school early on Sunday morning and by mid afternoon, he was back in the common room. Upon seeing their tired friend, James, Sirius and Peter had immediately dragged him over to their spot by the fireplace and regaled him with the details of James' broom accident. When he was finished telling the story, Remus chewed his lip and frowned at him looking concerned.

'And you're sure that you have no idea what caused your broom to go out of control like that?' he repeated.

James nodded impatiently as Sirius barged in on the conversation.

'We've been over this James— it was definitely the Slytherins!' he said gruffly. Remus turned to him disapprovingly. 'Sirius… why do you always jump to the conclusion that it was the Slytherins?'

Sirius snorted disbelievingly and Remus raised an eyebrow. 'Alright then, do you have any proof that it was them who jinxed James' broom?' he said evenly. Sirius sighed and looked at Remus as though he were a three-year-old. 'Moony, can you think of anyone in this school who's got it out for James?'

Before Remus could respond, Sirius nodded. 'You guessed right, its _Snape—_ and don't act like he doesn't hate James' guts!' he added when Remus made to retort. 'Because it's not like he hasn't tried to physically hurt us before!'

Remus ran a hand through his thick brown hair and James noticed that it fell limply through his bony fingers. Upon closer examination, he looked much paler than usual… which James guessed was only natural given that he had just come off of a transformation.

'Fine then you have a point Sirius,' Remus sighed as Sirius puffed out his chest with pride. 'Just promise me you won't go looking for any unnecessary trouble.' He stood up and began heading to the dormitories.

'I think I need some more rest,' he yawned as he traipsed off.

James watched Remus as he slowly disappeared up the staircase. Sirius shrugged at his back and flicked a piece of paper at Peter's head. 'Let him sleep for a little, we'll tell him about the party later,' he said airily.

They spent the next couple hours lounging around the common room with nothing in particular to do. Several other Gryffindors had stopped by to joke around for a bit, but everyone had their own homework to catch up on.

Only a little while after Remus had gone up to the dormitories, Alice Dearborn had walked over and chatted with them about Quidditch for a few minutes, though James noticed with a roll of his eyes that her own gaze was situated on Frank Longbottom, who was studiously writing an essay by the window.

James then glanced to his side and felt his heart leap in his chest. Sitting next to Frank with a book in front of her, was Lily Evans. The way the afternoon sunrays shone on her red hair gave James the impression that her head was on fire. He grinned in spite of himself as she flipped a page, not knowing that she was being watched.

After Alice had left to join Frank and Lily, Peter pulled out a leftover box of Bertie Bott's Beans from his school bag, and they bantered lazily, occasionally popping a bean into their mouths. After the conversation about Voldemort and the upcoming prank had dried out, they began trying to guess the flavors of the beans they were eating. Sirius, it turned out, had an innate talent for this particular game.

'Horse radish,' he said immediately after James picked out a white bean tinged with pink spots. James ate it and slapped a fist into his open palm. 'Right again!' he exclaimed. Sirius shrugged nonchalantly as he poured a handful of candy into his mouth. Peter stared at him. 'You're not scared of getting a toothache?' he asked incredulously.

Sirius looked down at him condescendingly. 'For lesser beings,' he replied.

At last, James could no longer stand the boredom of the emptying common room. 'You two fancy paying our house-elf friends a visit?' he suggested as he stood up and stretched noisily. Sirius and Peter's eyes lit up at the suggestion and together they made their way out of the portrait hole. James saw Lily look up from her book as they walked past her and he wiggled his eyebrows.

She immediately flicked her nose up in the air and turned back to her book.

The corridors were filled with students running around and laughing at each other's antics. After ducking to avoid some rather nasty looking ink pellets thrown by Peeves, the poltergeist, the three of them finally made it to the marble staircase.

'Who are you inviting to the party?' Sirius asked as they scaled down the steps.

James nudged Peter, who beamed happily. Sirius rolled his eyes. 'Let me rephrase that question,' he said. 'Who _would _you ask if it wasn't Pete or Moony?' James cocked an eyebrow at him as they waited for the staircase to stop turning. 'What's your point?' he inquired. Sirius waggled his eyebrows in response, eliciting a giggle from Peter and causing James to roll his eyes in understanding.

'Oh har, har— I'd go with Evans if she wasn't going with Snivellus,' he said. It came out a bit more viciously than he had intended it to.

In front of them, the stairs finally reconnected to a darkened corridor. The three boys stepped off of it and looked around curiously. 'I don't think we've ever walked downstairs this way before,' James commented as he inspected several unfamiliar and unfriendly looking paintings, which sneered down at him. 'We might have to wait for the stairs to come back around.'

On his left, Sirius had begun swapping choice swear words with the portrait of a particularly ancient looking witch. Peter looked frightened.

'It's fine Pete, the stairs will come back soon enough,' James assured him. Peter shook his head and pointed behind James.

James didn't catch on until he heard the whistling noise behind his ears a second later. Instinctively, he leapt forward and tackled Peter to the ground as a spell collided with the stone where their heads had been only seconds before.

Grunting as he got back to his feet, James searched through the dust cloud for the source of the spell. As the dust cleared, James saw Sirius standing up just next to him. There was a large red lump on his forehead where he had clearly banged his head from the fall. He pulled out his wand and charged forward into the smoke.

'Okay WHO THE BLOODY HELL WAS THAT?!' he screeched furiously.

James didn't bother trying to slow Sirius down. Instead, he just followed him down the corridor, as their footsteps echoed strangely against the wall. The smoke was clearing up now, and he stopped in his tracks. Just up ahead, a lone figure was slowly coming into view. James squinted his eyes slightly as the dust blew away and let out a low growl upon recognizing the person.

Severus Snape was standing in the middle of the corridor with an ugly smile on his face and his wand raised offensively.

'At last, you turn up Potter… I was beginning to think you'd never come!' he said gleefully.

James pointed his wand at the sallow faced boy. 'What're you playing at Snivellus?' he demanded as he reached an arm out and grabbed a hold of Sirius' robes to prevent him from attacking Snape right then and there. Snape let out a cold trill of laughter. 'Oh you would want to know that wouldn't you Potter? Always trying to dig into other people's business,' he said maliciously.

James narrowed his eyes. 'I think it _is_ my business if you just decide it's okay to try and take out our heads,' he said in a dangerous tone. 'And you're a bloody hypocrite you know that? Who's the little weasel that's always following us around and trying to get us into trouble?' Sirius growled in assent from his side.

Snape's smile fell from his face and his expression hardened. 'Don't talk like you know me Potter… you'll get what you deserve one of these days, mark my words.' He broke into a sneer once more. 'How'd you like that curse though? I would have thought that Mr. Quidditch Hero would want to get a little payback after that.'

Snape flicked his wand and before James knew it, the spell had hurtled past his outstretched arm and rammed straight into Peter, causing his face to erupt into angry, red boils. Sirius lost his remaining composure and charged at Snape with a shrill war cry. He shoved the skinnier boy onto his back and landed a heavy punch straight onto Snape's chin. James watched for a moment before snapping back to his senses.

'Sirius, SIRIUS!' He rushed forward and with a stupendous effort, he finally managed to drag his Sirius off of Snape, who was bleeding from his mouth. He shot them a bloody grin. 'Is that all you've got Black?' he taunted. 'And what about you, Potter? You haven't hit me with anything yet have you?'

Sirius stared at him looking both enraged and confused. James held up a hand as he made to raise his arm again.

'Don't Sirius,' he said firmly.

Sirius hesitated for a moment, and then dropped his arm. He stared at James incredulously as the former turned and walked away, stopping to help up Peter. With a flick of his wand, James performed a healing spell he had learned from watching his father do first aid, and the red boils faded away. Peter thanked him gratefully but quickly scurried behind his back fearfully when he caught Snape's eye.

With one last look of loathing at Snape, who looked quite shocked, Sirius jogged away to catch up with James.

'What the bloody hell is up with you mate? Did you see what he did to Peter back there? He almost took our heads off too! How can you—' James turned to him, his eyes blazing. He had realized what Snape was up to the minute he had let Sirius attack him without defending himself.

'He's goading us,' James said after a moment. 'He's trying to get you in detention— and me suspended from Quidditch.'

It was highly uncharacteristic of Snape to come out looking for harm— with his plan being to get them caught in the act of attacking him. James had to admit that it was a deceivingly clever plan— one he would never have expected from someone as belligerent as Snape. But then again he thought, Snape was a Slytherin, and they were known to be exceptionally cunning. Had he succeeded in taunting them into attacking him two on one, the consequences of their being caught would not only involve a lot of detentions— but also most likely forfeit James the right to participate in the upcoming match against Slytherin.

James felt his lips tug upwards into a smirk as he and Sirius boarded the moving staircase once again and headed off to the kitchens. Snape wasn't the only one who knew how to be cunning, he thought with satisfaction. He wasn't going to do anything stupid, not when he wanted desperately to help thrash Slytherin in the upcoming match.

In the meantime, he could feel Sirius' questioning gaze on his back and turned around.

'We'll get him good soon enough mate,' James said bracingly. 'But just for today, let's walk away as the bigger men.' Sirius stared at him as though he had lost his marbles for a few moments before letting out a bark like laugh.

'You always find a way to walk out victorious don't you?' he smirked.

James simply shrugged. 'When you're a Marauder, you get used to victorious,' he replied.

After eating their fills in the kitchens, where the house-elves had provided them each with a healthy sized snack, James, Sirius and Peter returned to the common room to find Remus sitting on the couch with his books spread out in front of him. He looked up when they entered and scooted some of his things over so they could sit.

'Do you feel rested now?' asked James. Remus nodded as he added the finishing touches on his Astronomy chart. 'I feel a bit more energized than before,' he said. James grinned and clapped his hands together.

'That's good to hear Moony. Now we can fill you in on the party that Sirius and I found ourselves invited to today.' Remus raised his eyebrows questioningly.

'What party?' he asked curiously.

Sirius cleared his throat. 'James and I have apparently been recruited to the _slug club,' _he said mockingly.

Remus nodded his head sagely. 'I've heard about Slughorn's parties. They're supposed to be of great help to any young witch or wizard he invites in getting the proper connections to be successful in the ministry or anywhere else. Good for you two that you were invited, I'm impressed!'

James stood up and bowed deeply, before sitting back down. 'Now it's time to discuss our plans for this party,' he said in a business-like tone.

Remus frowned. 'Plans? What plans? You and Sirius were invited, you should just try and talk to someone famous…'

Sirius stared at him as if he had lost his mind. 'What do I care about some washed up old ministry hags? I'd rather use this as an opportunity to test our potion!' he said gleefully as Peter nodded excitedly from beside him.

Remus looked scandalized. 'You can't do that!' he whispered fearfully. 'They've got connections and if one of them finds out— or if you make a mistake…' Sirius cut him off in the midst of his protests.

'That's what we're bringing you for Moony,' he said brightly. 'It's your job to assure that we don't get caught in any of our endeavors right?'

Remus' mouth opened and closed several times before he said, 'I didn't even get an invitation.'

James rolled his eyes at his friend. 'We can each bring one guest and obviously we're taking you and Pete,' he said bracingly. 'But it's strange that Slughorn didn't invite you— either of you—,' he added with a frown. 'You're easily the smartest bloke in our year and if it weren't for Evans, you'd be at the top.'

Remus eyed him wearily. 'James, you know I—'

James waved his hands in front of his face. 'Yeah I know, I know… your furry little problem and all,' he muttered to a roar of laughter from Sirius.

Remus sighed and closed his book shut. 'Well, I guess it can't hurt to go and watch over you lot,' he said with a hint of a smile.

Sirius clapped him on the back. 'That's the spirit!' he said enthusiastically.

Remus tapped his chin with the tip of his quill thoughtfully. 'The question is, what will we wear? I don't even own dress robes,' he said after a moment. James, Sirius and Peter exchanged confused glances.

'Dress robes.' Sirius said stupidly.

'Yes Sirius, dress robes as in formal attire worn by wizards and witches at important events,' Remus deadpanned.

Sirius glared at him. 'I know what they are,' he huffed. 'I just don't see the point in wearing them! I mean— have you seen James' new pair? They're _ghastly_…'

He dodged a punch thrown by James and proceeded to run up the stairs to the dormitory.

James shrugged at Remus and Peter before they all went up the stairs after Sirius to marvel at the ugliness of James' dress robes.


	49. Parties and Drinks

**Parties and Drinks**

**A/N: Sorry for the delay but I've got to study for exams, which are finally upon me! As usual, the story continues…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter world. That belongs to JK Rowling.**

'I'm not going to the party.'

'Come on Sirius, they're perfectly acceptable—'

'Perfectly acceptable my _arse_— I can't show up in _this!_'

James exchanged amused looks with Remus as their shaggy headed friend twirled around in front of the mirror and stared at his frayed dress robes with disgust. 'They suit you mate,' James coughed. He ducked just in time as a pillow that Sirius had levitated with his wand came hurtling towards his head at astonishing speed.

Grinning, James sat back up and ruffled his hair as Sirius continued to examine himself in the mirror.

A few days had passed since Snape had attacked Peter in the corridor, and it was now Wednesday evening— half an hour before Slughorn's party was set to commence. James and Remus had both grudgingly gotten dressed in party attire when the clock reached six thirty. James looked down at his new, black dress robes and grimaced, telling himself that he needed to bear with it for just this one night— and then he needn't ever put it on ever again.

Remus' robes, like almost all of his other clothes, were frayed in several spots but they seemed to be in better condition than his usual shirts, which were normally hidden from sight under his school robes. Peter, like James, was wearing a pair of dark, dress robes— although his were a size too large for him. The ends trailed well after his feet, causing him to stumble every few steps he took.

All three boys laughed at what the others were wearing, but then they had realized that Sirius had not joined in on the laughter. Upon leaning over to look at the article of clothing that he had in his hand, they were all stunned into silence for several long moments.

Sirius dress robes were not the classic black color that James, Remus and Peter's robes were. They were decorated with a pattern of red, white and blue checkers and stripes. And that wasn't even the worst part— far from it in fact. After Sirius had put the grotesque thing on, he noticed (with a look of horror on his face) that the ends of the sleeves and the neckline were laced with layers and layers of _frills._

Once James had recovered from his shocked state, he began to laugh uproariously and was soon joined by Remus, Peter and even Frank Longbottom, who had stopped by the dormitory to talk to them.

'Got a date?' Frank chortled as he tried to cover his laugh with his hand.

Sirius whipped around and shot him a death glare, although the effect was somewhat ruined when the untied laces on his neckline whirled around along with his head and smacked him in the eyes. 'Stuff it Longbottom, I'm only wearing th- this _thing _because I've got no other alternative,' he said through clenched teeth.

Frank raised his hands and left the room, still chuckling to himself, and that was how the four boys found themselves in their present situation.

'Sirius, we're going to test our potion remember? Just think of the looks on their faces when they get a whiff of Remus' secret stuff!' James said in an attempt to raise Sirius' morale.

Sirius ignored him and continued to pull at his frills viciously. 'I'm not showing up in there looking like a bloody fool!' he hissed.

Remus rolled his eyes. 'Give it here Sirius,' he instructed.

Sirius looked at him suspiciously. 'What are you going to do?' he asked. Remus picked up his wand from a nearby table. 'Have you forgotten that you're a wizard?' he asked wryly. He placed one hand on the end of Sirius' neckline and with his other hand, pointed his wand at the offending frills. 'Diffindo.'

The frills fell off as though an invisible knife had cut straight through them. As Sirius examined his new neckline in awe, Remus went to work on Sirius' sleeves. When he was finished, he stepped back and nodded in approval.

'There, now you've got no choice but to go to the party— you look stunning,' he joked.

James snickered at the look on Sirius' face as he finally gave in and agreed to go.

By the time they left the dormitories at a quarter to seven, Sirius had regained his lost mojo and was running over his list of targets to sample the potion on that night.

'First and foremost, _Snivellus_— no questions asked,' he said excitedly. 'And ooh, now that I think about it, it might be fun to slip some into Evans' cup as well!'

Remus shot him an exasperated look. 'We are _not _going to spike Lily's drink!' he said firmly. 'She's not stupid you know, if she catches on to what we're doing…' he trailed off and shuddered.

James couldn't really blame him for treading lightly. He knew that Lily's temper was wild and uncontained at best, and although he had personally become immune to it, Remus obviously had not, and thus he continued to fear Lily's wrath.

'Alright, alright scratch Evans,' Sirius grumbled. 'We'll just have to find some unsuspecting Slytherins then.'

The foursome descended the marble staircase down to the ground floor, and then made their way down the next set of stairs into the dungeons. Along the way, James spotted a few older students clad in dress robes who were heading in the same direction. Most of them were couples and linked arms as they walked.

Professor Slughorn was waiting at the door when they finally arrived in the candlelit dungeon corridor. He was clad in glittering, velvet colored robes and grinned at them jovially from behind his moustache.

'Ah, Evangeline and Thomas! Good, good— I was expecting you two! Come on in… And oh!' he spotted James. 'Mr. Potter and Mr. Black! I'm very glad that you two could make it tonight, there are lots of people I want you two to meet!'

He shot them a wink as they returned the greeting. 'You two are the first of the new members to arrive, I'll be on the lookout for more so get yourselves settle in won't you?' he waved them off into his classroom, nodding at Remus and Peter as they passed him by.

Slughorn's office had been redecorated in almost every way. The shelves of odd, floating specimens were gone, and round tables clad in white cloth now littered the room. There were at least thirty people crammed inside, and James noticed that some of them looked much too old to be students at Hogwarts. He felt a surge of annoyance for Slughorn. How could he invite guests from outside of Hogwarts, and yet not even bear to give Remus and Peter, his own students, a proper greeting?'

Sirius seemed to share in his sentiment, as he was currently bashing Slughorn's polka dotted necktie under his breath. Remus did not seem as bothered about it, and he simply took in the view thoughtfully. Peter, who didn't even seem to have noticed Slughorn's attitude towards him, was gazing longingly at the platters of refreshments over on the tables.

Just then, James heard someone calling out to him and he scoured the crowd for the voice. His eyes landed on a young witch clad in midnight blue robes, who was pushing her way towards him.

'Dorcas!' he said in surprise as the fourth year finally arrived in front of them. 'I didn't know you were in the Slug club.'

Dorcas visibly shuddered at the words. 'Don't remind me, I only come because my mother makes me come. She says its good for my future but I think it's just a rubbish party.' James laughed at her bluntness as several people around them stared at her in indignation. 'Anyways,' she brushed on. 'I didn't know you four were invited to the party? But I guess I shouldn't be surprised, you are top of every class—'

'Except for Charms and Potions,' said a voice from behind Dorcas.

Dirk Cresswell appeared, clad in dashing white dress robes, and carrying two drinks in his hand. He handed one to Dorcas and sipped the other glass, making a face as he did so.

'Champagne never did sit well with me,' he grimaced. 'Anyways, congratulations on your indoctrination.' He said in a formal tone, feigning seriousness. They all laughed heartily.

'Actually Remus and Peter are our guests, Slughorn didn't invite them— though I haven't got a clue why…' James explained once they had settled down.

Dorcas looked at Remus sympathetically, but he shrugged nonchalantly. 'I'm not complaining, I got to come anyhow,' he said evenly.

'I think I might have an idea as to why he wasn't invited…' Sirius muttered under his breath as he glared at Slughorn, and James fought the urge to kick him. He didn't want anyone, even if it was Dorcas and Dirk, to get suspicious about Remus.

Dorcas rolled her eyes and downed her champagne in one gulp. Sirius stared at her in shock and she raised an eyebrow. 'Aren't you underage?' he asked dumbly. Dorcas smirked. 'You can get away with certain things when you're with this guy,' she said, prodding Dirk in the chest.

James caught her eye and raised his eyebrows. She immediately recoiled and looked away; the tips of her ears were slightly red.

Dirk chose that moment to step in. 'I think it's really unfair that Slughorn didn't invite you two. That's the main thing I never liked about him, his favoritism!' he said as he placed an arm around Remus and Peter's shoulders. 'You two are going to be much greater than any of these old warlocks he's got mingling here with the schoolchildren.'

Remus and Peter both looked embarrassed but somewhat pleased at the same time. Just then, Slughorn entered the room followed by the last throng of people.

'Sorry to interrupt! I do hope that you will find it in yourselves to forgive an old man for rambling!' he bellowed with his arms raised in front of him. Several people tittered and someone shouted, 'nice tie professor!' from the crowd.

'Thank you for that Evan! Now as I was saying, I only wish to inform everyone here that if you are not having the time of your lives, then you will be given a detention,' he winked and many of the older wizards and witches laughed.

James had tuned Slughorn out by now and was currently letting his gaze travel around the room. 'Lily should be here,' he thought absentmindedly. Where was she?

'—that is all! Let the party begin!' Slughorn cried and with a snap of his chubby fingers, loud music began to blare from the band in the corner.

Dirk and Dorcas waved at them and disappeared into the crowd to search for other acquaintances. James turned to the other three and raised his eyebrows. 'What do you say we get started then,' he suggested.

Sirius grinned and turned to Remus. 'Did you bring the potion Moony?'

Remus reached into his robes and procured a narrow vial of brown liquid. 'Excellent!' Sirius exclaimed. 'Now who should we try it on first?'

Before James could raise a suggestion, an older wizard came up to them and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned and found himself wrapped up in a tight embrace.

After a moment, the man released his grip and beamed at James. 'Please pardon my enthusiasm,' he gushed. 'But might you be the son of Charlus Potter, head of the Auror department and the heir to the Potter household— _James Potter_?'

'Sorry you've got the wrong person,' James said calmly.

The man froze, his wide smile still stuck on his face. 'I— beg your pardon?' he spluttered. James smiled politely at him. 'I'm afraid you've mistaken me for someone else.'

The wizard looked deeply embarrassed with himself. 'I am _so _sorry about that,' he whispered, mortified, and he rushed off into he mass of dancing couples.

James grinned and soon, the four of them were convulsing with laughter and drawing stares from all around. 'The look on his face!' Sirius wheezed. 'That was priceless!' He gave an accurate impression of the bewildered wizard's expression which sent them all into hysterics once again.

'What have you two done _this_ time?'

James wiped his eyes and turned around— only to find himself frozen in place. Standing behind him was Frank Longbottom, Severus Snape and Lily Evans.

Lily was the one who had spoken. James' eyes travelled downwards and he felt his jaw slacken. She was wearing a very simple, blue flowery dress, but James knew right then and there that he preferred these clothes to the fancy billowing dress robes that everyone else was wearing. Lily looked at him strangely as he continued to stare at her.

'_What _Potter?' she asked curtly.

James found his voice. 'Erm— that is to say— you look _good _Evans. Very good indeed.' He mentally bashed himself in the head as Lily continued to stare at him.

'Thanks for the ringing endorsement,' she said sarcastically. She grimaced at Sirius, waved at Peter and smiled at Remus.

'_Remus_! I didn't know you were here,' she exclaimed.

Then, much to James' horror, she stepped forward and embraced his friend, who stared at James apologetically from over her shoulder. Sirius was biting his fist to stem his laughter and James whacked him on the head in irritation. A glance at Snape's expression told him that the greasy haired Slytherin felt no better about the hug than he did. After an eternity (or so it seemed), Lily and Remus parted.

'Catch you later Remus!' she called out as Snape dragged her way in his oversized frock.

Remus turned to face James and opened his mouth but James held up a hand. 'It's fine Moony, you're friends,' he said cheerfully. 'Just tell me one thing,' he whispered as Remus leaned in curiously.

'_How did she sm_—'

Sirius promptly cut James off by grabbing his ear and pointing across the room. '_Look!'_ he hissed. 'Look James! There's our first target!' James shrugged his hand off irritably and followed Sirius' direction.

Standing alone by the refreshment table on the other side of the party was a young boy around their age. He looked extremely out of place next to the dancing couples and experienced wizards and he didn't move to get any food— he just stood there.

James, Peter and Remus followed Sirius across the room— dodging through the various couples and even narrowly avoiding Slughorn himself once— before arriving by the snack table. Upon closer inspection, James realized that the boy looked rather familiar.

And then he realized who it was.

'That's Benjamin Roth!' Sirius hissed in his ear. 'Remember? He almost took out our heads with that spell in the common room!' Remus looked uncertain. 'Sirius, that was an accident,' he said.

Sirius snorted. 'Accident my arse— and either way, I'm going to get him back for covering me in dust.'

He moved forward, taking the vial from Remus' hands as he did so. James watched as Sirius stealthily maneuvered past Roth and knelt in a corner of the room with several drinks in his hand. He pried open the vial and poured a drop into each glass. James fought the urge to laugh at Sirius' lack of discreteness. Remus was much more vocal in his concerns.

'_How many_ glasses is he going to spike?' he breathed, horrified. 'Other people are going to drink those!'

Sirius glanced around furtively, and then he darted over to where Roth was standing and placed the glasses on the table before mysteriously disappearing from sight. James realized with amusement that Sirius had nicked his invisibility cloak from his trunk beforehand.

'Nice job,' he whispered as Sirius reappeared by their side out of nowhere.

They took a table nearby and pretended to talk amongst themselves as they ate several plates of cookies and fruit, all the while watching Roth intently. After what felt like ages, the third year evidently began to feel thirsty as he finally moved from his spot and made his way over to the drinks.

He reached his hand out to grab a glass.

'_More to the left, more to the left_,' Sirius was whispering on James' right.

To their shock, Roth skipped over the vials that Sirius had spiked and snatched a glass of fire-whisky from the table. He downed it in one gulp.

'Benjamin! That's _whisky_ my dear boy, you know the rules!'

Slughorn had made his way over and was now reprimanding a very embarrassed looking Roth. 'I'm very sorry sir, I just wanted to try it…' he mumbled with his head down. Slughorn clapped him on the back and handed him a glass of juice— Sirius pumped his fist— telling him to drink that instead.

As soon as Slughorn was out of sight, Roth tipped the drink up and took a sip. The four boys held their breath as they watched Roth closely. At last after a few minutes, the effects of their 'funny' potion began to kick in. Roth began scratching his head a lot, as though he were trying to rid it of some invisible insect. He gave a funny little jerk, and leapt to his feet, causing a few passing witches to jump back, startled. He began to speak to them loudly enough so that James could hear him quite clearly from where he sat.

'Excuse me ma'am, but I'm afraid that your dress robes _offend_ me!' he declared pompously, drawing himself up to his full height. James exchanged looks with the others and snickered as the witches stared at him as though worried that he was insane.

'AH! _There's_ professor Slughorn!' he boomed in the same nasally voice. 'I'm going to go bother him,' he whispered into the witch's ear. 'DON'T MISS ME TOO MUCH!' He suddenly bellowed as he grabbed a couple of drinks and darted off.

It wasn't long before Roth found and struck up an animated— although one-sided—conversation with a bewildered looking professor Slughorn, who was in the middle of speaking with Lily and Snape.

Sirius was clutching his sides as he rolled around with his head on the table. 'That was _brilliant_!' he wheezed through his laughter. 'Did you hear him? '_Don't miss me too much,'_ oh Merlin!' he dissolved into laughter once more.

Remus rolled his eyes at Sirius' behavior but smiled in amusement all the same.

'I thought he sounded a bit like you Sirius,' James cracked. Sirius punched him in the shoulder playfully and reached out to grab a half-filled glass on their table.

'Next up is Snivellus,' he declared as he tipped the juice into his mouth.

James stared at him for a moment before reaching out and grabbing his arm.

'Sirius _don't drink that!_'


	50. Potions and Mysteries

**Potions and Mysteries**

**A/N: I'm sorry I haven't been updating. The reason is simple— I've got exams! We are heading into the climax of year 2 soon, so bear with me!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognize. That belongs to JK Rowling.**

James could only watch in apprehension as Sirius tilted his head back and downed the drink in one gulp. He let out a loud burp and slammed the empty glass onto the table with a satisfying clank.

'What's the matter with you two?' he asked upon noticing James and Remus' stricken expressions. 'You look like you've seen Snivellus in his underpants.'

James studied Sirius intently for any sign of a reaction.

'Although that would certainly be terrible to see,' he said slowly. 'I have a feeling we're about to see worse.'

Sirius furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as Remus took the glass and sniffed it. 'Werewolves have a heightened sense of smell,' he said upon seeing their confused expressions. 'And Sirius, you may have just drunk a spiked potion.'

Sirius stared at Remus for several moments before raising his hands. He felt his face with his fingers, and then moved down and patted the rest of his body. Apparently satisfied with his self-examination, he turned back to Remus with a triumphant expression on his face.

'I don't feel any different,' he said at last. 'You're overreacting Moony!'

Ignoring Remus' protests, Sirius wrapped an arm around his shoulders and dragged him out of his seat. James and Peter followed the two wearily onto the dance floor, where Sirius began doing a bizarre variation of the two-step dance with an extremely harassed looking Remus. Several older witches who looked to be in their mid-twenties passed them by and scoffed loudly at their 'lack of mannerisms.' Caught up in his amusement at Sirius' dynamic dancing style, James temporarily forgot about the spiked potion. Perhaps he _had _overreacted when he had gotten a bad feeling about the suspicious glass and yelled at Sirius not to drink it. Sirius was acting very much like his usual, boisterous self, and did not seem to be poisoned or acting out of the ordinary— at least by his standards.

James bit his fist in a desperate attempt not to laugh out loud as Sirius stepped on Remus' foot for the fifth time, causing the other boy to wince and shake free of Sirius' grasp. 'Oh come on Moony, we're not done yet!' Sirius bellowed. He reached out to grab Remus' arm but Remus ducked out of the way. The result was that Sirius accidentally charged forward and grabbed someone else's arm.

James snorted out loud when Lily Evans turned around and stared at Sirius as if he was a criminal.

'Black! Why are you hanging onto my arm like some lost puppy?' she demanded.

Sirius took a step back and adjusted his now frill-less dress robes. 'Come on now Lily billy, the silly—'

He cleared his throat distinctly as Lily shot him a fiery death glare. 'Just sayin',' he guffawed, sounding extremely cheerful for some reason. 'I know you came here to have some fun, so come dance with me!'

James, Lily and Snape's jaws all dropped to the ground as one.

James' mind was whirling— what was Sirius thinking? He had to be messing around… he knew how James felt, even if he was only joking right now. He glanced up and saw that Snape looked livid, and his fists were clenched tightly at his sides.

'You must be out of your mind Black,' he snarled. To James' surprise, Sirius' jovial expression did not leave him, and he turned to the sallow faced boy, grinning like a madman.

'Ah, _Severrrrus!'_

Snape's jaw dropped even further and even Lily forgot her anger, instead looking stunned.

'Y-you, I— Don't mock me!' Snape spluttered incoherently, looking positively enraged. Lily put a hand out and held him back.

'Don't be stupid!' she said fiercely. 'We're at a party for goodness sake!'

Sirius bent over into a deep bow, shocking her into silence once more. 'I really wouldn't mind a dance right now— would one of you care to join me on the dance floor?' he raised his eyebrows suggestively at Snape, who seemed at a loss for words. He settled for insulting Sirius' robes.

'What is _that_ repulsive thing you've got on Black, something your mother made for your fifth birthday party?'

Sirius' happy attitude did not change, although an entirely odd expression crept onto his face. It was like he was fighting against something, and even James was rather unnerved. 'Normally Sirius would have attacked Snape by now,' he thought, puzzled.

'I _tried_ to play nice Severus, but if you really want to go that route…'

Sirius suddenly lunged forward with a loud giggle. James— having just barely anticipated Sirius' movement— leapt in front of his friend and grabbed him by the arm. Remus darted over to the other side and took a hold of Sirius' other arm.

'We've got you, now _don't do anything stu_—'

James was cut off mid-sentence as Sirius— displaying incredible dexterity— flipped in their grasps and slammed his feet into their faces. James grabbed onto his bleeding nose as Sirius landed back on the ground gracefully, still grinning. He let loose a screeching war cry and charged at Snape, who looked genuinely fearful of what he might do in his current condition. Lily moved in front of Snape and raised her wand.

'_No_! Don't hurt him!' James shouted thickly through his nosebleed.

He grabbed a hold of Sirius from behind as other people began to stop what they were doing and notice the commotion that was taking place. 'It was the potion after all,' James thought— and he felt the sudden inexplicable urge to laugh. 'You should really watch what you drink mate,' he said conversationally as he felt Sirius spin him around and slam him onto the floor.

James blinked away the stars and sat back up. By then, Slughorn had arrived looking like a very large and indignant walrus. 'What is going on he— _Merlin's beard_!' the potion's professor exclaimed upon seeing James and Remus sprawled on the floor and Sirius, who was rampaging around the room knocking glasses off of the tables as the guests screamed in fear.

'_Mr. Black_!'

With a wave of his wand, Slughorn immobilized Sirius, who fell to the floor stiff as a board with his mouth hanging open mid cry. He levitated him over to where James and the others were lying and set him down none to lightly on the ground.

'I hope you three understand that we are in the middle of a _party,_ and disturbances to everyone's evening will not be tolerated!' he shot James, Peter and Remus a glare. 'I'm afraid that you four will have to call it a night. Take Mr. Black back to the common room.'

He smiled kindly at Lily. 'Of course you are free to return to the festivities Miss Evans.'

Once he was out of sight, James cocked an eyebrow at Sirius' prone figure before bursting into a fit of laughter. It wasn't long before Peter and Remus joined him and the three boys rolled around on the floor in amusement as the remaining partiers shot annoyed glances at them.

'Oh Merlin,' James breathed as he wiped his eyes. 'I _knew_ that potion was bad news!'

Lily, who had been glaring at them with her arms crossed as they laughed, furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. 'What potion? Potter what are you talking about?' she snapped.

James waved a hand dismissively. 'Never you mind Evans,' he replied. 'Just get back to dancing with your date. He seems to be getting impatient with you for ignoring him.'

Snape flushed red and scowled at James. 'C'mon Lily, let's leave this fools,' he urged.

Lily huffed and reached for a glass on a nearby table. 'I don't know Sev, dealing with this crazy moron has sapped all of my energy,' she sighed, nodding at Sirius, who was still immobilized. She raised the glass to her lips and took a sip.

'SEV, SEV! COME ONE LET'S GO GET SOME FIREWHISKEY! I WANT TO DRINK SOME FIREWHISKEY!'

The last thing James saw before he left the room with Remus, Peter and a still paralyzed Sirius, was the shocked look on Professor Slughorn's pudgy face.

'Well, that was certainly a quick party,' James commented as the three of them made their way back up to the common room with Sirius in tow. Various students shot them odd looks as they passed by down the stairs, and James had to resist the urge to hex them.

Remus sighed in relief when they arrived on the seventh floor. 'I'm just glad it's over. I've never been one for partying, and he had all those big shots there.' James and Peter agreed, although James felt slightly guilty that while Remus wasn't looking, he had spoken to several famous Quidditch League players at the party. They climbed through the portrait hole and into the common room.

Frank Longbottom and Alice Dearborn were the only Gryffindors not at dinner. James noticed with amusement that despite all of the unoccupied armchairs surrounding the fire, they had decided to sit in the same one. They waved at them in surprise when the four boys entered the room.

'You're back from Slughorn's already?' Alice asked curiously. 'I thought you'd be gone longer…' She shot Frank a rueful look out of the corner of her eye, which he reciprocated.

James smirked at this exchange. 'Sorry for er, interrupting,' he said casually as he set Sirius down on the couch.

Alice and Frank blushed furiously and they both immediately tried to change the subject by bursting into questions about the party. James leant back in his own armchair and regaled them with the events of the night, though he conveniently left out the fact that they had spiked Benjamin Roth's potion and caused him to act like a complete nutter. When he got to the part where Sirius had drank from a spiked glass himself, Alice snorted in disbelief and Frank threw his head back and laughed.

'Seriously? He just picked it up and _drank_ from it?' Alice exclaimed, staring at the immobilized Sirius in exasperation. 'How thick can you get, Black?'

'Careful, he can hear you, you know,' Remus warned her with a grin. He turned to James. 'Speaking of which, do you reckon it's safe to undo him now?' James chortled at the frozen expression on Sirius' face for a moment before nodding. 'Yeah, hopefully the potion's effects have worn off by now— although I honestly wouldn't mind seeing that Sirius again,' he snickered. He raised his wand and pointed it at Sirius.

'_Finite incantatum_.'

James stepped back as Sirius' arm twitched— and then his leg.

Finally, Sirius sat bolt upright. His eyes whirled around the room until they landed on Remus. He pointed an accusing finger at him, as the boy in question raised his hands in mock surrender.

'Why'd you let Slughorn do that to me, _hmm_? I _invited_ you to the party!' he cried indignantly.

Remus sighed. 'Sirius, you were acting very strangely from that potion, I thought Professor Slughorn made the right decision in immobilizing you,' he said evenly.

'Yeah, to be honest, you were acting like a nutter,' James piped up. Sirius turned his glare upon him.

'Thanks for the support,' he muttered, before flopping back down into the couch moodily— all traces of his jubilant mood were gone.

They sat in silence for several long minutes. James was staring at the clock on the mantelpiece, wondering who could have spiked Sirius' potion, when Alice spoke up and broke the silence.

'So, did you see Lily?' she asked offhandedly as she played with a piece of string on her cushion.

James turned to look at her and caught Frank's gaze. The other boy shrugged awkwardly and mouthed, 'sorry!' James shrugged and turned his attention back to Alice.

'Yeah, I did actually.'

Alice cleared her throat. 'Well?'

'Well what?'

Alice looked up from her cushion to shoot him an annoyed glance. 'Well how did she look?' she snapped. 'You know I helped her pick that dress?'

James laughed, although it felt a bit awkward to do so. 'Right… I thought she looked fantastic as usual, but don't let her hear I said that,' he replied. Alice rolled her eyes at him. 'Why is it so hard for you to compliment her to her face?' she asked.

'I have complimented her before!' James frowned.

Alice rolled her eyes again. 'You may have, but you always end it with a stupid joke of some sort. You know Lily will never take your compliments seriously if you keep doing that.'

She turned to Frank and smiled sweetly, causing him no small amount of embarrassment.

'Right… speaking of Lily,' James said slowly as he suddenly remembered what had just happened at Slughorn's party. 'Alice, when you see her later tonight— don't be surprised if she's acting like a total head-case.' Alice furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

'What do you mean—?' she began, but she was interrupted by the sound of the portrait hole opening as the rest of the Gryffindors who were at dinner piled into the common room.

They fell into a comfortable silence again as the room began buzzing with chatter— and James tried to push what Alice had just said out of his mind. Sirius was still staring into the flames with a moody expression on his face.

James waved an arm in front of his face. 'Come on mate, cheer up!' he urged.

Peter nodded excitedly. 'Our potion worked!' he exclaimed triumphantly. Sirius perked up at this and he sat upright, shooting a weary glance at Frank.

'Yeah that's right!' Peter continued eagerly. 'Ooh, I wish I could see that again!'

Frank and Alice were frowning in confusion. Before they could open their mouths to ask however, James and Sirius had both clamped a hand onto Peter's mouth and, ignoring the smaller boy's muffled protests, told them that it was nothing they should worry about.

Fortunately, Frank soon dropped the issue, and James, Sirius and Remus sighed in relief.

Sirius immediately turned and smacked Peter on the head. 'Great job Peter! You almost gave us away there!' he whispered irritably. Peter winced in pain as he rubbed his forehead. 'Sorry!' he squeaked. 'I-I just forgot…'

Remus patted him on the back. 'It's all right, just be careful next time okay?' he said gently. Peter looked slightly heartened by Remus' words, although he quickly retreated behind his cushion as Sirius continued to scowl fiercely at him.

'Sirius stop it,' ordered Remus.

'Anyway,' James cleared his throat. 'I think we Marauders have got a new issue on our hands,' he declared.

The other three stopped squabbling and looked up at him solemnly.

'_Who_ spiked Sirius' drink?' James finished dramatically.

Sirius sat up straighter in his seat, rubbing his hands together with a menacing glint in his eyes.

'I think this calls for a little investigation,' he smirked. '_Nobody_ gets away with humiliating the Marauders.'


	51. Aftermaths and Photographs

**Aftermaths and Photographs**

**A/N: Sorry for the late update! Once again, my excuse is exams… Anyway, the story goes on! Thank you to the few people who have reviewed and favorite recently! Also thank you to the people who are simply reading this for enjoyment!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter universe. It belongs to JK Rowling.**

The day after the party found James, Sirius and Peter sitting in their usual places by the fireplace after their last class, Potions, had ended. To James and Sirius' amusement, Professor Slughorn had been noticeably curt with the pair of them and when he wasn't showering Lily and Snape with the usual praises, he was sending the two boys withering glances from across the room.

After their lesson on brewing the Draught of Peace, the Marauders— save for Remus, who had gone to the library to study— made their way back to the common room, where they were currently lounging around, wasting the afternoon away.

'Who do you reckon it was?' Sirius asked from his spot on the puffy red couch. 'It _had_ to have been a Slytherin!' Peter nodded in agreement from his armchair. James, who was sitting on the floor between them, shook his head slowly. 'We can't rule out any others,' he said firmly. 'For all we know, it could have been a Gryffindor.'

Sirius looked aghast. 'Are you serious mate? Why would a Gryffindor want to humiliate their own housemate?' James shrugged. 'Maybe they're jealous of all the attention we get,' he suggested.

Sirius threw himself back onto his couch, sinking deep into the cushions. 'I hate being popular…' he grumbled. James snorted as Peter stared at Sirius in confusion.

'Why would you hate being p—?'

At that moment, someone tapped on James' shoulder and interrupted Peter's question with a loud clear of her throat. James turned his head slowly and saw a mane of red hair. He then found himself looking up into Lily Evans' bright green eyes— which clearly gave away the fury of their owner. James quickly recovered from his brief daze and ran a hand through his messy hair, shooting her grin.

'Wotcher Evans,' he said cheerfully. 'How can I help you?'

Lily did not look amused.

'You _spiked_ my drink Potter!' she hissed, pointing an accusing finger at James.

James' eyebrows jumped to his hairline and he raised his hands in surrender. 'I don't know what you're talking about Evans, but it wasn't us,' he replied.

Lily's hair seemed to cackle with electricity as she took a step forward. Sirius had sat up on the couch slowly, and was eyeing Lily with a look of apprehension on his face. James almost laughed at the sight of his best friend cowering in fear— almost.

'Have you got any proof that it was us?' James asked casually.

To his immense shock and enjoyment, Lily stomped her foot on the ground twice, looking livid. 'I _know _it was you Potter! It's _always _you and your little gang!' she all but screamed. James' back was pressed up against the foot of the couch as Lily took another step closer to him.

'Evans! Come on now— I swear it wasn't—'

'_Oh, _and I suppose you expect me to just _believe _you?' she snarled.

James stood up in his seat and locked eyes with her. 'It really wasn't us this time,' he said evenly. 'I'm not lying.'

Lily looked slightly taken aback by his firmness, but didn't look much appeased. She crossed her arms and glared at James, Sirius and Peter in turn. 'I don't know if I believe you,' she said crossly. James threw his hands up in the air and turned to Sirius. 'Mate, do you reckon she'll believe Remus once he gets back?'

Sirius nodded eagerly as Lily finally seemed to notice the absence of the fourth Marauder.

'Where's Remus?' she asked curiously.

James took advantage of the temporary lapse in her anger and jumped into an exaggerated retelling of how their friend had been attacked by a careless fourth year's mandrakes in Herbology first period, and had consequently been carted off to the Hospital Wing in critical condition.

Lily furrowed her eyebrows as James gesticulated wildly in an imitation of Remus' struggles. Sirius and Peter were guffawing in the background at various points in his story.

'He was attacked by _mandrakes_?' Lily clarified.

James nodded solemnly. 'Yes— unfortunately.'

'Mandrakes aren't covered in Herbology until fourth year right?'

'Yeah, and I just said that some fourth year wasn't keeping watch over his, so it snuck through to our greenhouse and attacked Remus.'

'But fourth years don't have Herbology today…'

'Er… I think Professor Sprout offers extra lessons to those who er, want to make use of their free time in the morning. You see, she doesn't care if they skive off of Divination to come work with her younger classes,' James backtracked quickly. He was beginning to break into a cold sweat.

'Right, well I could have sworn that I saw Remus in Charms, Transfiguration and Potions,' Lily pressed.

James shook his head vehemently as Sirius repeatedly slapped the couch in mirth. 'NO! I mean, no… that must have been some kind of illusion— you're hallucinating Evans!' he pointed a finger at her accusingly.

Lily looked affronted. 'I am NOT hallucinating! I know I saw him today and I think you're making all of this rubbish up!' she declared.

James was saved from answering when the portrait hole opened once more, and Remus walked into the common room with several books tucked under his arms, looking as good as he ever did.

He stopped in his tracks when he saw Lily with her finger pointed at James' throat, and Sirius and Peter lying on the ground in hysterics. All heads were pointing at him, and after a moment, a small smile crossed his lips.

'…Do I want to know what I missed?' he asked.

Lily immediately moved over and grabbed his arm. 'Remus can I ask you a question?' she asked sweetly. James chuckled at the bemused look on his friend's face.

Yeah, sure,' said Remus, and Lily directed her glare at James once again.

'Were they'— she pointed at James and Sirius— 'responsible for spiking my drink at Professor Slughorns' party?'

Remus was silent for a few moments as he locked eyes with James. James stared right back at him resolutely and shook his head. Remus held his gaze for a bit longer before he replied, 'No, I don't think they were Lily.'

James let out a sigh of relief as an expression of surprise crossed Lily's features. She nodded after a moment and let go of Remus' arm. 'Okay, thanks Remus!'

After Lily left to join Alice Dearborn, who had been watching the exchange with amusement, Remus sighed and joined Sirius on the couch. 'So I take it that she accidentally drank _our _potion?' he asked in resignation. They all turned to stare at Sirius, who fidgeted uncomfortably.

'_Oh all right_!' he finally burst out. 'I may have spiked more glasses than necessary last night, but it was only to make sure that Roth didn't pick a clean glass of juice to drink by accident, that would have been no fun!'

Remus sighed again and James chuckled. 'Anyway,' Sirius interjected forcibly. 'Did you get any studying done in the library Moony?' Remus nodded and pulled a book titled, '_Deceivingly Dangerous Potions,' _out of his bag.

He flipped through until he found the page he was looking for. 'This,' he said as he handed the book to James. 'This is what I was looking for.' James looked at the title of the page.

'Essence of Euphoria,' he read out loud.

Remus nodded solemnly as James looked up at him. 'You think that's what Sirius drank last night?' he asked. Sirius frowned as he grabbed the book from James' hands.

'This Essential-Mix of Euphoria thing is supposed to make you really happy right?' he asked.

'Yeah, and after I checked in that book, I learned that the side effects are very strange,' said Remus. 'There have been cases of people who behave in a very odd way, say uncharacteristic things, and act like overall buffoons instead of simply being 'happier' like the name of the potion suggests.'

James cleared his throat loudly. 'Sounds like Sirius here,' he muttered.

Peter and Remus roared with laughter as Sirius whacked James with a cushion. 'I wasn't acting _that _odd,' Sirius said defensively.

'You said you wanted to dance with Snape!' Peter piped up. James laughed loudly. 'I had forgotten about that!' he said in amusement as Sirius shot Peter a withering glare.

'Let's change the subject,' he growled. 'How about we talk about how someone could have gotten their hands on that potion?'

After they had all calmed down a bit, James checked his watch and groaned. 'I've got to go to Selywn's now, I'll see you all at dinner?' he checked. They all nodded and he left them by the fire, waving at Frank and Alice as he headed out of the common room.

Selwyn had once again rescheduled his lesson, in light of Slughorn's party. As he walked alone towards Selwyn's office, James felt the familiar creeping feeling of dread that he got whenever one of these lessons was approaching. He still had not gotten used to the feeling of having his mind read, and if he was being completely honest with himself, he had shown no improvement at defending it whatsoever. He could only hope that Selwyn wouldn't accidentally stumble upon the memories of him preparing for the prank recently...

When James got there, Selwyn's office was dimly lit as usual, and he did not appear to be in there yet. Unsure of what to do, James decided to step inside and wait for Selwyn to arrive. He left the door open and strolled along the sides of the room; taking in the various specimens and objects that Selwyn had decorated his shelves with. There were skulls of creatures both small and medium-sized, and several containers of what looked to be eyeballs— although James wasn't exactly sure if that was the case.

Something shining on one of the upper shelves caught James' eye. He took a step closer and squinted up at the odd looking light. 'That's a sneakoscope,' he thought to himself, immediately recognizing it as the same model as the many sneakoscopes that Mr. Potter kept in his office back at the Ministry. Wondering what Selwyn had one of those for; James reached up and made a grab for the swiveling object. Unfortunately, his hand grazed a small skull next to the sneakoscope and promptly caused a mini-landfall of containers and other junk. James winced as the noise subsided, before bending down to clean the mess. He had just placed the sneakoscope back to its original place when something else caught his eye. There was a piece of paper lying a good distance away from the rest of the mess on the floor.

James picked it up and turned it around. It was an old and yellowing photograph. In it were two young men, who looked to be in their mid to late twenties. They were waving energetically at the camera, and upon closer inspection, James realized that they were standing in front of Gringotts bank in Diagon Alley.

He frowned. Something had been bothering him about the picture ever since he had laid eyes on it.

After a wracking his brains quite thorougly, James realized what it was. He _knew _these men! The one on the left had thick, dark hair that fell around his face in waves. He was rather tall and imposing, but his face was stretched into a wide grin as he beamed at the camera.

It was a younger Selwyn.

James stared at the younger version of his current Defense against the Dark Arts teacher. This Selwyn looked so much _happier _than James had ever seen him before. The difference was astounding, and for the first time, James could envision Selwyn as a former student of Hogwarts himself— fresh with hopes and aspirations.

He turned his attention to the man standing next to Selwyn. This man was much shorter than his companion, although he carried himself with just as much dignity. His short, brown hair was neatly combed to the side, and he offered the camera a small, curt smile as he waved half-heartedly. The Selwyn in the photo wrapped an arm around this man's neck and seemed to be encouraging him to be more enthusiastic. James furrowed his eyebrows at the odd pair in the photo. That man looked somewhat familiar as well…

'_Having fun are we?'_

James felt a cold ripple of shock trickle down his spine as he jumped up, startled. Professor Selwyn was standing next to the now closed door, staring at James impassively.

When James made no move to say anything, Selwyn sucked his teeth in irritation. '_Hurry up_ and clean this mess up, I haven't got all day,' he snapped. James did as he was told and took his time in placing everything back onto the shelves. He placed the old photograph next to an empty container and turned to face Selwyn.

Selwyn stared at him with an unreadable expression for a moment. Suddenly, there was a loud bang from behind James, and he whirled around in time to see the photograph being burnt to a crisp.

When the magical fire died out, James continued to stare at the black spot on the shelf in shock.

'Your attention, Potter,' Selwyn said coldly. 'No more distractions.'

For the next half an hour or so, Selwyn kept up the routine of prying through James' every day life— making it a point to stay longer on the more uncomfortable moments such as his various Quidditch injuries and Snape's hexes. Selwyn's favorite memory to return to, however, was of Rankin placing James under the Cruciatus curse over Christmas break. James hated it when he did that, but he knew better than to complain. Unfortunately for him, Selwyn appeared to be in a foul mood today, and continuously replayed the ugly scene for him in his consciousness. James was beginning to wonder how the cheerful young man in the now nonexistent photograph could have turned into such a bloody git. After the fourth or fifth time they had gone through the memory— James was beginning to lose track— he had had enough.

'I don't see the point of this,' he said loudly.

Selwyn shot him an ugly scowl. 'I wasn't finished yet,' he said coldly. 'Until you learn how to block me from entering your mind so easily, we will continue to replay your worst nightmares.'

James grit his teeth in anger as Selwyn raised his wand again. This time however, when Selwyn narrowed his eyes in concentration, James called on every fiber in his mind to flex like a muscle. He felt a strange sensation, almost as if his senses had been dulled, and all he could hear was a small ringing sound in his ears. He opened his eyes and saw a momentary look of surprise cross Selwyn's face, before the scene before him changed.

When James took in his surroundings again, he was no longer in Selwyn's dingy little office at Hogwarts. The sun was shining brightly overhead, and he was standing on a cobbled street lined with small shops.

Diagon Alley.

James looked around, unsure of what to do next or what he was doing here, when he spotted two young men up ahead chatting animatedly. They were easy to spot because the streets were rather empty at this time of day, and they were wearing what looked to be official ministry uniforms. James crept closer so he could hear their conversation.

The men had their backs turned to him as he followed them down the street. When he got closer, he could overhear snippets of their exchange.

'… like the Minister said, _he's _getting more and more powerful each day, and we can't pinpoint any of the attacks on him!' One of the men was saying.

'I can understand your frustration Cog', but do you honestly think that the ministry could do anything about _him? _To be honest, I think we've gotten rather pathetic in recent years,' the man on the left replied gruffly.

The man called 'Cog' sighed and stuck his hands into his pockets as they turned onto the main street. Just up ahead, James could make out the familiar building that kept every witch and wizard's gold within its depths; Gringotts. He turned his attention back to the conversation between the men. Who were they talking about that was causing so much trouble for the ministry? The first name that came to James' mind was Voldemort.

'Cog' suddenly raised his head and kicked a pebble. 'I wish the minister would just swallow his damn pride and call on Albus Dumbledore for help! That man is the only one who has a chance against _him _in a duel.'

The other man shrugged. 'That's what everybody's saying, but you don't see Dumbledore going out there and leaving his post at Hogwarts now do you?'

'Cog' snorted. 'Yeah you're right… I'm beginning to reckon that Dumbledore values his post as Transfiguration professor more than the fate of the bloody country.'

James frowned as he quickened his gait to match the two men. Since when had Dumbledore been a Transfiguration Professor? It must have been the post he had held before he had been made Headmaster, thought James. If so, then his earlier suspicion had been wrong.

He was currently many years in the past.

Therefore Voldemort could not have been a threat just yet, meaning that the wizard the two men were referring to, was most likely Gellert Grindewald.

And there was something about the two men arguing up ahead that struck James. He felt like he recognized that shaggy mane of black hair from somewhere…

The two men arrived in front of Gringotts and greeted a goblin that appeared to be waiting for them on the front steps. One of the men chose that moment to turn his head and laugh at something he saw in the distance.

James gave a start.

It was a young Professor Selwyn; looking identical to the one in the photograph that his present self had just burned to ashes. James held his breath in anticipation as 'Cog' reached into his bag and pulled out a few notes before handing them over to the goblin. Selwyn slowly turned and patted him on the back as he convinced him to take a picture for commemoration purposes.

'C'mon mate, we can hang it in the Auror office— _legends_, the two of us!' Selwyn was saying eagerly.

After some more heavy persuasion, 'Cog' grudgingly agreed and they switched positions with the goblin as they posed for the picture.

James stepped around them to get a glimpse, and he felt his jaw drop to the floor.

It was the same man from the old photograph, with neat, parted hair— only this time, James recognized him.

It was a young Professor Meriweather.

'Smile mate!' Selwyn urged him, looking uncharacteristically enthusiastic.

The light from the goblin's camera flashed— and at the same time, James felt something like a hook grab him by the neck of his robes. He knew a brief moment of darkness before he landed with a thud into the quiet office in the present time.

James looked up, wide-eyed, at the present Selwyn, who was seated in his desk looking rather calm.

'I'm sorry,' James blurted out instinctively. 'I don't know how I did that.'

Selwyn raised a hand and James fell silent. He was appraising James coolly, not angrily as James had expected him to be. The silence stretched on for a long time, punctuated only by the ticking of the clock above Selwyn's head.

The clock struck eight, and at last, Selwyn spoke.

'It seems you've made a little progress with Occlumency today Potter,' he said dryly. James was taken aback by the compliment coming from Selwyn's lips and did not know how he should respond.

Selwyn nodded at him, clearly not expecting a reply. 'You may leave now.'

James stood up and headed to the door. When his hand touched the handle however, he suddenly felt compelled to ask. He turned around.

'Professor?'

'What do you want Potter?'

James shifted his weight to one foot. 'Were you and Professor Meriweather good friends?'

It was fleeting, but James could have sworn that he saw Selwyn flinch. His face resumed its usual cold mask and he scowled at James. 'I don't see how that is of any concern to you and your lessons Potter, now get out of my room.'

James immediately turned and left the room.

As he trudged down the corridor on his way to the Great Hall, the questions about what he had just seen remained at the forefront of his mind.


End file.
